Full Citation
Title: American Geography of Opportunity Reveals European Origins
Citation Type: Journal Article
Publication Year: 2019
ISBN:
ISSN:
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1810893116
NSFID:
PMCID:
PMID: 30837314
Abstract: 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.
Url: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30837314
User Submitted?: No
Authors: Berger, Thor; Engzell, Per
Periodical (Full): Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Issue: 13
Volume: 116
Pages: 6045-6050
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Migration and Immigration, Other
Countries: