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Intergenerational Mobility and Macroeconomic History Dependence

Author

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  • Dilip Mokherjee

    (Department of Economics, Boston University)

  • Stefan Napel

    (Department of Economics, University of Hamburg)

Abstract

That historical inequality can affect long run macroeconomic performance has been argued by a large literature on ‘endogenous inequality’ using models of indivisibilities in occupational choice, in the presence of borrowing constraints. These models are characterized by a continuum of steady states, and absence of mobility in any steady state. We augment such a model with heterogeneity in agents’ abilities in order to generate occupational mobility in steady state. Steady states with mobility are shown to be generically locally unique and finite in number. We provide forms of heterogeneity for which steady state is globally unique, and others where they are non-unique. Agent heterogeneity may also cause competitive equilibrium dynamics to fail to converge, but convergence can be restored in the presence of sufficient ‘inertia’ or occupation switching costs.

Suggested Citation

  • Dilip Mokherjee & Stefan Napel, 2006. "Intergenerational Mobility and Macroeconomic History Dependence," Discussion Papers 1, Aboa Centre for Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:tkk:dpaper:dp1
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Intergenerational mobility; occupational choice; human capital; borrowing constraints; inequality; history-dependence;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • E25 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Aggregate Factor Income Distribution
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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