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Explaining divergent life outcomes in modern societies is a core issue within social science, and of key relevance for policy makers. This debate has long been defined by an uncompromising struggle between "nature" and "nurture", with social and political science mostly preferring environmental explanations for life outcomes such as educational attainment and political participation. The molecular genetics revolution is now providing new insights into the genetics of complex social outcomes, but much stands to be learned about how genetic influences on life outcomes can be conditioned by the environment. Moreover, and surprisingly, we still know rather little about how genetic insights impacts on citizens' perceptions and attitudes towards inequality and government intervention. Building this knowledge is crucial given the complex and contentious nature of debates concerning genetics and social behavior. This thesis contributes with new insights about the interplay between genetics and different types of environments, operating in the fascinating intersection between social science and molecular genetics. The thesis also contributes by exploring the moral and empirical implications of genetic explanations for social life outcomes. The thesis relies on Swedish administrative registers and original survey data.

Study I explores how historical political and institutional changes related to equality of opportunity can be reflected in the association between genetics and educational attainment. Studying Swedish twins born across the 20th century, the paper suggests that the influence of education-related genetic propensities on education have increased across time, while the socioeconomic stratification of genetic effects has also decreased. 

Study II investigates the interaction between education-related genetic propensities and proximal social environments in the shaping of political participation. Contributing to debates concerning inequalities in political participation, the study shows that the effects of genetic resources on voting are lower when family and neighbourhood characteristics are more favourable in terms of socioeconomic status and political engagement.

Study III explores the public understanding of genetic explanations for socioeconomic outcomes, using a survey experiment fielded in the United States and Sweden. Contrary to expectation, the study shows some evidence that citizens increase their beliefs in the effectiveness, and the fairness, of the government reducing socioeconomic differences, as a result of an increased knowledge about how genetics contribute to shaping such differences.