Internationally, and especially within European education policy, the goal is to increase the participation of all social groups in higher education. This is seen as an essential driver of social mobility, economic growth, and democratic stability. In this context, however, critical voices are increasingly being raised, questioning the actual value of a policy of “widening participation” for democracies, economies, and individuals. Furthermore, questions are being asked about the life experiences of underrepresented social groups who are now participating more in higher education.

On this topic, the WU Research Group Meeting took place on July 4-5, 2019, at the Education Sciences Group, with four internationally recognized higher education researchers with whom the group cooperates. The guests were:

• Prof. Ann-Marie Bathmaker (University of Birmingham, UK),

• Prof. Andreas Hadjar (University of Luxembourg, LUX),

• Prof. Sarah O'Shea (University of Wollongong, AUS), and

• Prof. Diane Reay (University of Cambridge, UK).

The foundation for this networking meeting was laid in September 2018. Prof. Erna Nairz-Wirth (Education Sciences Group, WU) conceived and led a joint symposium entitled "Capability and Habitus: Critical perspectives on widening participation, social mobility and student persistence within global higher education settings" at the European Conference on Educational Research (ECER) in Bolzano, Italy.