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Grandfathers Matter(ed): Occupational Mobility Across Three Generations in the US and Britain, 1850–1911

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  • Jason Long
  • Joseph Ferrie

Abstract

Nearly all intergenerational mobility studies focus on fathers and sons. The possibility that the process is more than simply two‐generational (AR(1)) has been difficult to assess because of the lack of the necessary multi‐generational data. We remedy this shortcoming with new data that links grandfathers, fathers and sons in Britain and the US between 1850 and 1910. We find that grandfathers mattered: even controlling for father's occupation, grandfather's occupation significantly influenced the occupation of the grandson. For both Britain and the US in this time period, therefore, assessments based on two‐generation estimates significantly overstate the true amount of social mobility.

Suggested Citation

  • Jason Long & Joseph Ferrie, 2018. "Grandfathers Matter(ed): Occupational Mobility Across Three Generations in the US and Britain, 1850–1911," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(612), pages 422-445, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:econjl:v:128:y:2018:i:612:p:f422-f445
    DOI: 10.1111/ecoj.12590
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    Cited by:

    1. Paserman, Daniele & Olivetti, Claudia & Salisbury, Laura & Weber, E. Anna, 2020. "Who Married, (to) Whom, and Where? Trends in Marriage in the United States, 1850-1940," CEPR Discussion Papers 15484, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Jørgen Modalsli & Kelly Vosters, 2024. "Spillover Bias in Multigenerational Income Regressions," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 59(3), pages 743-776.
    3. Juliana Jaramillo-Echeverri, 2024. "Movilidad social en la educación: el caso de la Universidad de los Andes en Colombia entre 1949 y 2018," Cuadernos de Historia Económica 61, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    4. de la Croix, David & Goñi, Marc, 2020. "Nepotism vs. Intergenerational Transmission of Human Capital in Academia (1088--1800)," CEPR Discussion Papers 15159, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    5. Monica Harber Carney, 2024. "Trade-offs in intergenerational family care provision," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 563-593, June.
    6. Yang, Xiaoliang & Zhou, Peng, 2022. "Wealth inequality and social mobility: A simulation-based modelling approach," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 307-329.
    7. Zachary Ward, 2023. "Intergenerational Mobility in American History: Accounting for Race and Measurement Error," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 113(12), pages 3213-3248, December.
    8. Anustup Kundu & Kunal Sen, 2023. "Multigenerational Mobility Among Males in India," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 69(2), pages 395-418, June.
    9. Güell, Maia & Rodríguez Mora, José V & Solon, Gary, 2018. "New Directions in Measuring Intergenerational Mobility," CEPR Discussion Papers 12959, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    10. Luca Spinesi, 2022. "The Environmental Tax: Effects on Inequality and Growth," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 82(3), pages 529-572, July.
    11. M Dolores Collado & Ignacio Ortuño-Ortín & Jan Stuhler, 2023. "Estimating Intergenerational and Assortative Processes in Extended Family Data," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 90(3), pages 1195-1227.
    12. Matthew Curtis, 2022. "The her in inheritance: how marriage matching has always mattered, Quebec 1800-1970," Working Papers ECARES 2022-38, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    13. Tyler Anbinder & Dylan Connor & Cormac Ó Gráda & Simone Wegge, 2021. "The Problem of False Positives in Automated Census Linking: Evidence from Nineteenth-Century New York's Irish Immigrants," Working Papers 202114, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    14. Collins, William J. & Zimran, Ariell, 2019. "The economic assimilation of Irish Famine migrants to the United States," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    15. Jim Been & Anne C. Gielen & Marike Knoef & Gloria Moroni, 2022. "Prolonged worklife among grandfathers: Spillover effects on grandchildren's educational outcomes," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 22-033/V, Tinbergen Institute.
    16. Julián Costas-Fernández & José-Alberto Guerra & Myra Mohnen, 2020. "Train to Opportunity: the Effect of Infrastructure on Intergenerational Mobility," Documentos CEDE 18591, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    17. Kundu, Anustup & Sen, Kunal, 2021. "Multigenerational Mobility in India," IZA Discussion Papers 14566, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. William J. Collins & Ariell Zimran, 2019. "Working Their Way Up? US Immigrants' Changing Labor Market Assimilation in the Age of Mass Migration," NBER Working Papers 26414, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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