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Intergenerational mobility through the lens of the elderly: New estimates from India and a comparison with existing measures

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  • Rajdeep Chaudhuri
  • Abhiroop Mukhopadhyay
  • Kunal Sen

Abstract

The literature on intergenerational mobility for many countries in the world focus on household surveys that capture the education of parents and their children. While they pay particular attention to issues regarding co-residency of fathers and son, they are somewhat weaker in information on women: daughters who live with their in-laws as well as resident women outside the reproductive age group (15-49), for whom information on parents is typically missing.

Suggested Citation

  • Rajdeep Chaudhuri & Abhiroop Mukhopadhyay & Kunal Sen, 2026. "Intergenerational mobility through the lens of the elderly: New estimates from India and a comparison with existing measures," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2026-10, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2026-10
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Philip Oreopoulos & Kjell G. Salvanes, 2011. "Priceless: The Nonpecuniary Benefits of Schooling," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 25(1), pages 159-184, Winter.
    3. Siddiqui, Laeek Ahemad & Goswami, Puja, 2024. "Tracing the educational journey of Indian women across generations: A study of multigenerational education mobility in India," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    4. Becker, Gary S & Tomes, Nigel, 1979. "An Equilibrium Theory of the Distribution of Income and Intergenerational Mobility," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 87(6), pages 1153-1189, December.
    5. Sripad Motiram & Ashish Singh, 2012. "How close does the apple fall to the tree? Some evidence on intergenerational occupational mobility from India," Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai Working Papers 2012-017, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, India.
    6. Zhang, Nan & Fan, Hongmin, 2024. "The intergenerational mobility effects of higher education expansion in China," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
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