Ambition, Human Capital Acquisition and the Metropolitan Escalator

Ian Gordon

SERC Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Performance, LSE

Abstract: This paper examines the relation between ambition, as a form of dynamic human capital, and the escalator role of high order metropolitan regions, as originally identified by Fielding (1989). It argues that occupational progression in such places particularly depends on concentrations both of people with more of this asset and of jobs offering preferential access to valued elements of tacit knowledge, interacting in thick, competitive labour markets. This is partially confirmed with analyses of BHPS data on long term progression showing that only the more ambitious gain from residence in the extended London region, and that they only progress faster there.

Keywords: Escalator region; migration; urban labour market; London; social mobility; human capital (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J24 J61 J62 R23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-geo, nep-lma, nep-mig and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/sercdp0107.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Ambition, Human Capital Acquisition and the Metropolitan Escalator (2015)
Working Paper: Ambition, human capital acquisition and the metropolitan escalator (2015)
Working Paper: Ambition, human capital acquisition and the metropolitan escalator (2012)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cep:sercdp:0107

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