Thor Berger
Biträdande universitetslektor
American geography of opportunity reveals European origins
Författare
Summary, in English
A large literature documents how intergenerational mobility—the degree to which (dis)advantage is passed on from parents to children—varies across and within countries. Less is known about the origin or persistence of such differences. We show that US areas populated by descendants to European immigrants have similar levels of income equality and mobility as the countries their forebears came from: highest in areas dominated by descendants to Scandinavian and German immigrants, lower in places with French or Italian heritage, and lower still in areas with British roots. Similar variation in mobility is found for the black population and when analyzing causal place effects, suggesting that mobility differences arise at the community level and extend beyond descendants of European immigrant groups. Our findings indicate that the geography of US opportunity may have deeper historical roots than previously recognized.
Avdelning/ar
- Ekonomisk-historiska institutionen
- Centrum för ekonomisk demografi
Publiceringsår
2019
Språk
Engelska
Sidor
6045-6050
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volym
116
Issue
13
Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
National Academy of Sciences
Ämne
- Social and Economic Geography
- Economic History
Nyckelord
- Great gatsby curve
- Immigration
- Income inequality
- Intergenerational mobility
- Melting pot
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 0027-8424