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 Mobility387
School segregation undermines U.S. economic mobility and dynamism
October 15, 2019
October 15, 2019
U.S. school segregation in the 21st century
October 15, 2019
October 15, 2019
Vision 2020: Evidence for a Stronger Economy
November 1, 2019 9:00AM - 4:30PM
Equitable Growth event highlights Boushey’s new book Unbound about how inequality obstructs, subverts, and distorts economic growth
September 20, 2019
September 20, 2019
Testimony by Heather Boushey before the House Budget Committee
September 19, 2019
September 19, 2019
Between exclusion and cumulative advantage: Effects of within-organization mobility on inequality
August 23, 2019
August 23, 2019
The labor market consequences of ex-offender licensing laws
August 23, 2019
August 23, 2019
Federal financial aid and postsecondary success for low-income students
August 23, 2019
August 23, 2019
The effects of employment incentives and cash transfers on parent and child outcomes: Evidence from the long-run effects of welfare reform experiments
August 23, 2019
August 23, 2019
The Federal Reserve’s new Distributional Financial Accounts provide telling data on growing U.S. wealth and income inequality
August 22, 2019
August 22, 2019
Extensive nonstandard work hours among U.S. low-income mothers hinder their kids’ enrollment in center-based childcare
August 12, 2019
August 12, 2019
The implications of U.S. gender and racial disparities in income and wealth inequality at each stage of the innovation process
July 24, 2019
July 24, 2019
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