Welfare States Preserve Family Effects

Using population registry data from over 170,000 Norwegians and four different genetic methods, the study finds that family shared environment explains a meaningful portion of variance in educational attainment and wealth even in a generous social‑democratic welfare state. Genetic influences are larger for education and occupational prestige, but shared family factors remain important and show commonality across SES measures. The result challenges a simple expectation that expansive welfare policy eliminates family‑based transmission of socioeconomic advantage. — If shared family environment remains influential under an egalitarian welfare regime, policy debates about equality and mobility must consider family‑level interventions as well as universal programs.