Intergenerational transmission of disadvantage: mobility or immobility across generations?: a review of the evidence for OECD countries

This report surveys the research in OECD countries on intergenerational mobility, i.e. the extent to which key characteristics and life experiences of individuals differ from those of their parents. A number of findings emerge; (1) intergenerational earnings mobility varies significantly across countries; (2) education is a major contributor to intergenerational income mobility and educational differences tend to persist across generations; (3) evidence of intergenerational immobility extends to other outcomes. For example, occupations persist across generations and this persistence depends on factors such as education and also race or migrant status; and (4) early and sustained investment in children and families can help. A key role is played by early childhood education, care and health. Low intergenerational mobility has important policy implications as it implies that the life chances of individuals will partly reflect characteristics for which they are not responsible. However, it should be emphasised that, while it is often possible to quantify the extent of intergenerational mobility with a single number (e.g. in the case of income), this quantification does not imply a judgement about what mobility should be. No society is completely mobile or immobile and some of the mechanisms contributing to intergenerational persistence of outcomes are both acceptable and indeed desirable. This underscores the importance of identifying what measures are most effective in reducing some of the inequalities of opportunities that are associated with different birth endowments.

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