Topic Economic Mobility

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

In Conversation

In Conversation with Miles Corak

Inequality & Mobility
report

U.S. economic mobility trends and outcomes

Inequality & Mobility
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Wealth as a driver of income and consumption mobility in the United States

Inequality & MobilityFamilies
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New research suggests that social circles affect upward mobility among U.S. children and young adults

Inequality & Mobility
Vision 2020

Race and the lack of intergenerational economic mobility in the United States

Inequality & MobilityTax & MacroeconomicsLabor
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Factsheet: What the research says about the economic impacts of reproductive care

Inequality & MobilityFamiliesLabor

Explore Content in Economic Mobility386

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The fading American dream: trends in absolute income mobility since 1940

Inequality & Mobility
In Conversation

Equitable Growth in Conversation: an interview with the OECD’s Stefano Scarpetta

Inequality & Mobility
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Geography of economic inequality

Inequality & MobilityFamilies
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How economic inequality affects children’s outcomes

FamiliesInequality & Mobility
working paper

Inequality and mobility using income, consumption, and wealth for the same individuals

Inequality & Mobility
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Preschool is about more than a third grade test score

FamiliesInequality & Mobility
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Protecting against risk can help boost U.S. entrepreneurship

Inequality & MobilityLabor
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New analysis shows it is more difficult for workers to move up the income ladder

LaborInequality & Mobility
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Effect of unemployment insurance benefits on match quality and job mobility

Inequality & MobilityLabor
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The importance of childhood education and the birth lottery for U.S. innovation

Inequality & Mobility
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The unequal gains from product innovations

Inequality & Mobility
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Social preferences at work: Evidence from online lab experiments and job-to-job mobility in the LEHD dataset

Inequality & Mobility
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