Mobility for All: Representative Intergenerational Mobility Estimates over the 20th Century

Elisa Jácome, Ilyana Kuziemko and Suresh Naidu
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Elisa Jácome: Stanford University
Ilyana Kuziemko: Princeton University
Suresh Naidu: Columbia University

Working Papers from Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies.

Abstract: We present the first estimates of long-run trends in intergenerational relative mobility for samples that are representative of the full U.S.-born population. Harmonizing all surveys that ask about father's occupation and own family income, we develop a mobility measure that allows for the inclusion of non-whites and women for the 1910s–1970s birth cohorts. We show a robust increase in mobility between the 1910s and 1940s cohorts, about half of which is driven by absolute convergence in racial income gaps. We also find that excluding Black Americans, particularly Black women, considerably overstates mobility throughout the 20th century.

Keywords: mobility; minorities; racial income gaps (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H00 J15 J16 N3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pri:cepsud:302

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