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Intergenerational Mobility in Education: Variation in Geography and Time

Author

Listed:
  • Jason Fletcher
  • Joel Han

Abstract

Education mobility contributes to income mobility and is an important policy target but has received little attention. This paper documents trends (1982–2004) and geographical differences (across US states) in education mobility. We develop mobility measures that respect the unique properties of education attainment. While standard approaches suggest slightly increasing mobility over the sample period, we find that mobility fluctuated, decreasing over roughly the first decade and increasing in the second. Geographic variation in education mobility is correlated with local community and policy factors—such as the existence of high school exit exams. Finally, the South is excluded from national increases in mobility.

Suggested Citation

  • Jason Fletcher & Joel Han, 2019. "Intergenerational Mobility in Education: Variation in Geography and Time," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 13(4), pages 585-634.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jhucap:doi:10.1086/705610
    DOI: 10.1086/705610
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    Cited by:

    1. Lou, Jing & Li, Jie, 2022. "Export expansion and intergenerational education mobility: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    2. Handy, Christopher & Shester, Katharine, 2020. "Accounting for Changes in Intergenerational Mobility," MPRA Paper 102425, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Sulagna Mookerjee & John D. Pedersen & David Slichter, 2023. "Time Use and the Geography of Economic Opportunity," Research in Labor Economics, in: Time Use in Economics, volume 51, pages 89-104, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    4. Fletcher, Jason & Jajtner, Katie M., 2023. "Multidimensional intergenerational mobility," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 328(C).
    5. Alberto Alesina & Sebastian Hohmann & Stelios Michalopoulos & Elias Papaioannou, 2021. "Intergenerational Mobility in Africa," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 89(1), pages 1-35, January.
    6. Luís Clemente-Casinhas & Luís Filipe Martins & Alexandra Ferreira-Lopes, 2025. "Using Survey Data to Estimate Intergenerational Mobility in Income and Education in Portugal," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 176(1), pages 51-106, January.
    7. Ferry, Marin & de Talancé, Marine & Niño-Zarazúa, Miguel, 2022. "Less debt, more schooling? Evidence from cross-country micro data," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 153-173.
    8. Handy, Christopher & Shester, Katharine L., 2022. "Local changes in intergenerational mobility," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    9. Michele Bavaro & Federico Tullio, 2023. "Intergenerational mobility measurement with latent transition matrices," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 21(1), pages 25-45, March.
    10. Xiaohe Zhou & Mingda Cheng & Chunhui Ye, 2023. "The Impact of Household Migration on the Intergenerational Educational Mobility: Based on the Perspective of Adolescent Development," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-13, March.
    11. Bénédicte Apouey & Zoya Nissanov & Jacques Silber, 2023. "Ordinal Variables and the Measurement of Upward and Downward Intergenerational Educational Mobility in European Countries," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 69(3), pages 776-800, September.
    12. Marco Colagrossi & Andrea Geraci & Gianluca Mazzarella, 2023. "Intergenerational mobility in the Netherlands: models, outcomes and trends," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 21(4), pages 775-788, December.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J48 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Particular Labor Markets; Public Policy

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