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The geography of family differences and intergenerational mobility

Author

Listed:
  • Ryan Gallagher
  • Robert Kaestner
  • Joseph Persky

Abstract

A recent series of studies by the Equality of Opportunity Project has documented substantial geographical differences in intergenerational income mobility. These spatial differences are important because they suggest that place matters more than previously thought in determining economic well-being. In this article, we show that family characteristics vary widely across areas and simulations indicate that differences in these family characteristics can explain a substantial share of the variation in intergenerational income mobility across places documented by the Equality of the Opportunity Project. Additionally, we show that the characteristics of families that move differ substantially from families that do not move and that family characteristics differ by the type of move made, which raise questions about the external and internal validity of causal inferences based on the Equality of Opportunity Project’s analysis of movers.

Suggested Citation

  • Ryan Gallagher & Robert Kaestner & Joseph Persky, 2019. "The geography of family differences and intergenerational mobility," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 19(3), pages 589-618.
  • Handle: RePEc:oup:jecgeo:v:19:y:2019:i:3:p:589-618.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jeg/lby026
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Kevin Callison & Robert Kaestner & Jason Ward, 2018. "A Test of Supply-side Explanations of Geographic Variation in Health Care Use," NBER Working Papers 25037, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Hennig, Jan-Luca, 2021. "Labor Market Polarization and Intergenerational Mobility: Theory and Evidence," VfS Annual Conference 2021 (Virtual Conference): Climate Economics 242353, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    3. Handy, Christopher & Shester, Katharine, 2020. "Accounting for Changes in Intergenerational Mobility," MPRA Paper 102425, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Virág Ilyés & István Boza & László Lőrincz & Rikard H Eriksson, 2023. "How to enter high-opportunity places? The role of social contacts for residential mobility," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 23(2), pages 371-395.
    5. Dylan Shane Connor & Michael Storper, 2020. "The changing geography of social mobility in the United States," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 117(48), pages 30309-30317, December.
    6. Handy, Christopher & Shester, Katharine L., 2022. "Local changes in intergenerational mobility," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    7. Ning Jia & Raven Molloy & Christopher Smith & Abigail Wozniak, 2023. "The Economics of Internal Migration: Advances and Policy Questions," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 61(1), pages 144-180, March.
    8. Kevin Callison & Robert Kaestner & Jason Ward, 2021. "Do Supply‐Side Forces Explain Geographic Variation In Health Care Use?," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 59(1), pages 119-139, January.
    9. Sandher, Jeevun, 2022. "Familiar Faces, Worn Out Places: The Effect of Personal and Place Prosperity On Well-Being," SocArXiv am6gq, Center for Open Science.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Income inequality; migration; economic opportunity; intergenerational mobility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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