Intergenerational mobility in American history: Accounting for race and measurement error
By: Ward, Zachary
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Material type: 
BookPublisher: The American Economic Review Description: 113(12). Dec, 2023: p.3213-3248.Subject(s): Relative mobility Intergenerational persistence Equality of opportunity Race Measurement error Census data US history White samples Nonwhite families Mobility estimates
In:
The American Economic ReviewSummary: The article examines the historical trends and measurement errors in relative mobility in the US, highlighting how accounting for race and measurement errors can alter our understanding of intergenerational persistence and equality of opportunity. A large body of evidence finds that relative mobility in the US has declined over the past 150 years. However, long-run mobility estimates are usually based on White samples and therefore do not account for the limited opportunities available for nonwhite families. Moreover, historical data measure the father's status with error, which biases estimates toward greater mobility. Using linked census data from 1850 to 1940, I show that accounting for race and measurement error can double estimates of intergenerational persistence. Updated estimates imply that there is greater equality of opportunity today than in the past, mostly because opportunity was never that equal.- Reproduced
https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.20200292
| Item type | Current location | Call number | Vol info | Status | Date due | Barcode |
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Articles
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Indian Institute of Public Administration | 113(12). Dec, 2023: p.3213-3248 | Available | AR130889 |
The article examines the historical trends and measurement errors in relative mobility in the US, highlighting how accounting for race and measurement errors can alter our understanding of intergenerational persistence and equality of opportunity. A large body of evidence finds that relative mobility in the US has declined over the past 150 years. However, long-run mobility estimates are usually based on White samples and therefore do not account for the limited opportunities available for nonwhite families. Moreover, historical data measure the father's status with error, which biases estimates toward greater mobility. Using linked census data from 1850 to 1940, I show that accounting for race and measurement error can double estimates of intergenerational persistence. Updated estimates imply that there is greater equality of opportunity today than in the past, mostly because opportunity was never that equal.- Reproduced
https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.20200292
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