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Are high school degrees and university diplomas equally heritable in the US? A new measure of relative intergenerational mobility

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  • Anna Naszodi
  • Liliana Cuccu

Abstract

This paper proposes a new measure of relative intergenerational mobility along the educational trait as a proxy of inequality of opportunity. The new measure is more suitable for controlling for the variations in the trait distributions of individuals and their parents than the commonly used intergenerational persistence coefficient. This point is illustrated by our empirical analysis of US census data from the period between 1960 and 2015: we show that controlling for the variations in the trait distributions adequately is vital in assessing the part of intergenerational mobility which is not caused by the educational expansion. Failing to do so can potentially reverse the relative priority of various policies aiming at reducing the "heritability" of high school degrees and tertiary education diplomas.

Suggested Citation

  • Anna Naszodi & Liliana Cuccu, 2023. "Are high school degrees and university diplomas equally heritable in the US? A new measure of relative intergenerational mobility," Papers 2303.08445, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2303.08445
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    1. Hertz Tom & Jayasundera Tamara & Piraino Patrizio & Selcuk Sibel & Smith Nicole & Verashchagina Alina, 2008. "The Inheritance of Educational Inequality: International Comparisons and Fifty-Year Trends," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 7(2), pages 1-48, January.
    2. Jo Blanden, 2013. "Cross-Country Rankings In Intergenerational Mobility: A Comparison Of Approaches From Economics And Sociology," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(1), pages 38-73, February.
    3. Liu, Haoming & Lu, Jingfeng, 2006. "Measuring the degree of assortative mating," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 92(3), pages 317-322, September.
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