American geography of opportunity reveals European origins

Thor Berger () and Per Engzell ()
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Thor Berger: Department of Economic History, School of Economics and Management, Lund University, SE-223 63 Lund, Sweden; Centre for Economic Demography, School of Economics and Management, Lund University, SE-223 63 Lund, Sweden; Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, OX1 3BD Oxford, United Kingdom
Per Engzell: Nuffield College, University of Oxford, OX1 1NF Oxford, United Kingdom; Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2019, vol. 116, issue 13, 6045-6050

Abstract: A large literature documents how intergenerational mobility—the degree to which (dis)advantage is passed on from parents to children—varies across and within countries. Less is known about the origin or persistence of such differences. We show that US areas populated by descendants to European immigrants have similar levels of income equality and mobility as the countries their forebears came from: highest in areas dominated by descendants to Scandinavian and German immigrants, lower in places with French or Italian heritage, and lower still in areas with British roots. Similar variation in mobility is found for the black population and when analyzing causal place effects, suggesting that mobility differences arise at the community level and extend beyond descendants of European immigrant groups. Our findings indicate that the geography of US opportunity may have deeper historical roots than previously recognized.

Keywords: income inequality; intergenerational mobility; melting pot; immigration; Great Gatsby Curve (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nas:journl:v:116:y:2019:p:6045-6050

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