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Intergenerational mobility around the world: A new database

Author

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  • van der Weide, Roy
  • Lakner, Christoph
  • Mahler, Daniel Gerszon
  • Narayan, Ambar
  • Gupta, Rakesh

Abstract

Using individual data from over 400 household surveys, this paper compiles a global database of intergenerational mobility in education for 153 countries covering 97 percent of the world's population. Intergenerational mobility in education is estimated to be lower in the average developing country than in the average high-income country. Children in the developing world have been less successful at surpassing their parents' education, despite the lower levels of parental education. The poorer the country, the more likely it is that individuals born to parents who do not have an education lack the means to get an education. The world as a whole is estimated to be less mobile than the average country in it, which highlights the importance of the country in which one obtains his/her education.

Suggested Citation

  • van der Weide, Roy & Lakner, Christoph & Mahler, Daniel Gerszon & Narayan, Ambar & Gupta, Rakesh, 2024. "Intergenerational mobility around the world: A new database," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:166:y:2024:i:c:s0304387823001232
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2023.103167
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    Cited by:

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    2. Liu, Kelly J. & Stutzer, Alois, 2024. "The Role of Social Mobility Experience in Zero-Sum Beliefs," IZA Discussion Papers 17407, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Muñoz, Ercio, 2021. "The Geography of Intergenerational Mobility in Latin America and the Caribbean," SocArXiv mc78h, Center for Open Science.
    4. Brunori, Paolo & Ferreira, Francisco H. G. & Salas-Rojo, Pedro, 2024. "Inherited Inequality: A General Framework and a 'Beyond-Averages' Application to South Africa," IZA Discussion Papers 17203, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Intergenerational mobility; Inequality; Education; Poverty;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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