Economic mobility measures the relationship between a parent and child’s economic outcomes, usually in terms of income. Too often, an individual’s economic outcome in the United States is determined by parental resources, race, and privilege, rather than individual effort and talent. In addition, rising economic inequality over the past several decades means that the consequences of stalled or falling economic mobility have gotten worse. Equitable Growth seeks to understand how today’s inequalities could be foreclosing equality of opportunity for future generations.
Featured work
Wealth as a driver of income and consumption mobility in the United States
June 7, 2023
June 7, 2023
New research suggests that social circles affect upward mobility among U.S. children and young adults
September 7, 2022
September 7, 2022
Race and the lack of intergenerational economic mobility in the United States
February 18, 2020
February 18, 2020
Factsheet: What the research says about the economic impacts of reproductive care
June 27, 2022
June 27, 2022
Explore Content in Economic Mobility403
Extended-Family Wealth, Race, and the Transition to Homeownership
August 27, 2021
August 27, 2021
Public Investment, Manufacturing Work Opportunity, and Upward Mobility in Midcentury America: Evidence from World War II
August 27, 2021
August 27, 2021
Who Weathers the Storm? The Unequal Effects of Hurricanes in the United States
August 27, 2021
August 27, 2021
Finding Work with Carceral Credentials: Peril and Paradox
August 27, 2021
August 27, 2021
Which Policies are Effective at Reducing Racial Differences in the Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty?
August 27, 2021
August 27, 2021
American Sociological Association 2021 conference centered on inequality and structural racism in the U.S. economy and society
August 19, 2021
August 19, 2021
NBER Summer Institute 2021 Round-up: Week 3
August 2, 2021
August 2, 2021
NBER Summer Institute 2021 Round-up: Week 2
July 26, 2021
July 26, 2021
NBER Summer Institute 2021 Round-up: Week 1
July 19, 2021
July 19, 2021
Climate change among many issues discussed at annual Western Economic Association International conference
July 15, 2021
July 15, 2021
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