Mobility

What it is and why it is important

Mobility research investigates the movement of individuals and groups within and between social strata, geographic regions, and economic conditions.

Our research identifies barriers to economic opportunity for people from different backgrounds and informs policies to promote social and economic equity.

Key research topics in this field include:

  • Investigating patterns of social mobility, including both upward and downward shifts within social hierarchies.
  • Analyzing changes in economic status for individuals and families over generations.
  • Studying migration patterns and examining their impacts on both originating and receiving communities and economies.

Research that has the ability to link inequality at earlier ages, or even among one’s parents, to inequality later in life is a promising area. 

Damon Jones

Related Events

Related Research Papers

Accounting for Individual-Specific Heterogeneity in Intergenerational Income Mobility

Working Paper

Immobility As Memory: Some New Approaches to Characterizing Intergenerational Persistence via Markov Chains

Working Paper

Episode #22: Lauren Rivera on Meritocracy and Its Failings

Featured Episode In Mobility

February 10, 2025
Lauren Rivera, author of Pedigree, reveals how hiring at elite firms often perpetuates privilege. In this conversation with Steven Durlauf, she critiques meritocracy’s failures for women, minorities, and people with disabilities.