Recent research has uncovered large spatial heterogeneity in intergenerational mobility across neighborhoods in countries around the world. Yet there is little consensus on the reasons why mobility is high in some neighborhoods and low in others. This paper analyzes a generalized mobility model...

This paper provides a synthesis of theoretical and empirical work on the Great Gatsby Curve, the positive empirical relationship between cross-sectional income inequality, and persistence of income across generations. We present statistical models of income dynamics that mechanically give rise...

This paper proposes a fully nonparametric model to investigate the dynamics of intergenerational income mobility for discrete outcomes. In our model, an individual's income class probabilities depend on parental income in a manner that accommodates nonlinearities and interactions among various...

This essay reviews the theory and empirics of intergenerational mobility. Our review draws on models and empirical analyses of classic and more recent work from both economics and sociology. We summarize models and the surrounding empirical evidence of two key sets of mechanisms: family factors...