Working Paper: NBER ID: w28874
Authors: Magne Mogstad; Gaute Torsvik
Abstract: This chapter reviews the literature on intergenerational mobility. While our review is centered around the large empirical literature on this topic, we also give a brief discussion of some of the relevant theory. We consider three strands of the empirical literature. First, we discuss how to measure intergenerational persistence in various socio-economic outcomes. We discuss both measurement challenges and some notable findings. We then turn to quantifying the importance of family environment and genetic factors for children’s outcomes. We describe the pros and cons of various approaches as well as key findings. The third strand is concerned with drawing causal inferences about how children’s outcomes are affected by specific features of their family environment. We discuss a wide range of environmental features, including the neighborhoods in which children grow up. We critically assess what conclusions one may and may not draw from certain widely cited empirical studies of neighborhoods and intergenerational mobility.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: D1; J13; J24; J62
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Parental education (I24) | Children's educational attainment (I21) |
| Parental income (D31) | Children's income (J13) |
| Parental education (I24) | Children's income (J13) |
| Parental income (D31) | Children's educational attainment (I21) |
| Family background (J12) | Children's outcomes (I24) |
| Neighborhood environments (R23) | Children's economic outcomes (J13) |
| Parental education and income (I24) | Children's outcomes (I24) |