PhD Defense - Laudine Carbuccia, "Determinants of the socioeconomic gap in early childcare access in France : A multi-level, integrative approach"

Date/time : Tuesday, November the 4th at 2:00 PM

Place : Maison de Sciences Po, 1 place Saint Thomas d’Acquin.

Title : "Determinants of the socioeconomic gap in early childcare access in France : A multi-level, integrative approach"

Abstract : This dissertation analyzes the factors behind early childcare (e.g., crèches) access inequalities in France. It begins with a paradox : despite having a relatively available and affordable supply, France remains one of the OECD countries with the most significant access disparities based on family socioeconomic background. Using an interdisciplinary and mixed-methods approach—including a PRISMA systematic review, 207 interviews, a randomized controlled trial with 1,859 households, realist evaluation, decomposition techniques, and machine learning—it traces the chain of mechanisms that, at the micro- and meso-levels, create macro-level patterns of inequalities. The findings reveal that the early childcare system creates informational, administrative, and symbolic barriers that prevent vulnerable families from accessing a spot. The large-scale randomized experiment shows that personalized support helps equalize the application process but does not reduce overall access inequalities. The realist evaluation shed light on the mechanisms behind these results. Personalized support decreases cognitive load, enhances families’ knowledge, and makes it easier for them to apply. However, an oversaturated and inadequate supply, along with spot allocation criteria, disadvantages vulnerable households and limits their access. Overall, this research demonstrates that supporting applications among vulnerable families is necessary but insufficient without simultaneous reforms on the supply side, such as increasing even more the available supply, simplifying access pathways, reducing administrative burdens, and revising spot allocation procedures. Beyond childcare, it also shows how services that could promote equality can instead become additional tools of social stratification if their implementation doesn’t align with the cultural, social, and cognitive resources available to the most vulnerable populations.

Supervisors and Jury :

• M. Carlo Barone, Professeur des Universités, Sciences Po (codirecteur)
• M. Lawrence Berger, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison (rapporteur)
• Mme Coralie Chevallier, Directrice de recherche INSERM, ENS/PSL (codirectrice)
• Mme Orla Doyle, Full Professor, University College Dublin
• M. Daniel Nettle, Directeur de recherche CNRS, ENS/PSL (rapporteur)
• Mme Lidia Panico, Professeure des Universités, Sciences Po
• M. Michel Vandenbroeck, Professor Emeritus, Ghent University
• M. Wim Van Lancker, Associate Professor, KU Leuven