Intergenerational Mobility under Private vs. Public Education

This paper analyzes intergenerational earnings mobility in a model where human capital is produced using schooling and parental time. In steady -states more mobile societies have less inequality, but in the short-run higher mobility may result from an increase in inequality. Starting from the same inequality, mobility is higher under public than under private education. A rise in income shocks, for example due to increased returns to ability, or a switch from public to private schooling both increase inequality. However, increased shocks raise mobility in the short-run and do not affect it in the long-run, whereas an increased role for private schooling reduces mobility in both the short- and long-run. That these differences may help to identify the source of changes in inequality, and other real-world implications, are illustrated in a brief discussion of time trends and cross-country differences.