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Family Structure and the Economic Mobility of Children
Family Structure and the Economic Mobility of Children explores the relationship between parental marital status and intergenerational economic mobility. Co-authored by Thomas DeLeire of the University of Wisconsin and Leonard M. Lopoo of Syracuse University, the report compares the economic mobility outcomes for children who were born to single mothers, divorced parents, and continuously married parents. It finds that, across the income distribution, divorce is particularly harmful for children’s economic mobility in both absolute and relative terms. The report also highlights the striking differences in economic mobility outcomes for white and African American children, but finds that family structure does not fully explain these differences.
To view the full report, click on the report image.
(MAY 2010)
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Chasing the Same Dream, Climbing Different Ladders: Economic Mobility in the United States and Canada
Chasing the Same Dream, Climbing Different Ladders: Economic Mobility in the United States and Canada examines intergenerational economic mobility trends in both countries. Authored by Miles Corak of the University of Ottawa, the report finds notable differences in economic mobility outcomes among citizens in the United States and Canada. Specifically, Americans are more likely to be “stuck” at the top and bottom of the income ladder over a generation than are Canadians. (JANUARY 2010)
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A Penny Saved is Mobility Earned: Advancing Economic Mobility Through Savings
This report finds that having parents with high-savings positively impacts one's upward mobility, particularly for children of low-income parents; having high-savings oneself increases the chances of moving up from the bottom of the income ladder. (NOVEMBER 2009)
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Strengthening Community Colleges' Influence on Economic Mobility
Community colleges are an important avenue to upward mobility no matter the students’ background, income level, or high school accomplishments. This report finds that an associate degree is particularly meaningful for low-income, high-achieving high school students—over half of whom transfer to four-year colleges and, of those who transfer, three-quarters earn a bachelor’s degree. (OCTOBER 2009)
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Neighborhoods and the Black-White Mobility Gap
One of the most powerful findings of the Economic Mobility Project's research to date has been the striking mobility gap between blacks and whites in America. Over a generation, white children are more likely than blacks to experience upward mobility in adulthood, while black children are more likely than whites to experience downward mobility. This report, authored by New York University sociologist, Patrick Sharkey, finds that growing up in a high-poverty neighborhood increases the risk of experiencing downward mobility and explains a sizable portion of the black-white downward mobility gap.
(JULY 2009)
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Ups and Downs: Does the American Economy Still Promote Upward Mobility?
Focusing on the household incomes of working-age adults (those aged 26 to 59), this report assesses how income drops, gains, and recovery have varied from 1967 through 2004. The analyses include both short- and longer-term fluctuations in income, examining how people are able to recover from income declines, how long their recovery takes, and differences across demographic groups in both.
(JUNE 2009)
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A Detailed Picture of Intergenerational Transmission of Human Capital
As the previous Economic Mobility Project report Pathways to Economic Mobility found, education---including parental education ---is a key indicator of one's ability to move up or down the economic ladder.
(MAY 2009)
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Promoting Upward Mobility by Increasing Post-Secondary Education
Getting a postsecondary education is among the most important factors in determining whether a person achieves the American Dream of upward economic mobility. This report finds that many low-income students miss out on college because they don't have good information about how significantly financial aid can reduce the cost of tuition, and the process for obtaining aid is not as straightforward and timely as it could be.
(MAY 2009)
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Economic Mobility Poll
In early 2009, the project commissioned a national survey and series of focus groups to provide a more accurate picture of how Americans view their own economic mobility and to better understand how their perceptions square with the reality of the project’s data. What defines Americans’ experience with mobility? What do we believe are the key determinants of our, and others’, mobility? How do our perceptions and perspectives on mobility differ as we look to the near future, as well as over generations, and how has this changed? (JANUARY 2009)
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U.S. Intragenerational Economic Mobility From 1984 to 2004: Trends and Implications
This research brief shows that despite notable shifts in the US economy over the past two decades, mobility rates have changed little, and there remains considerable immobility for those who start at the bottom of the income ladder.
(NOVEMBER 2008)
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Pathways to Economic Mobility: Key Indicators
The assumption that anyone can get ahead based on capability and effort is central to the idea of the American Dream. This report provides an overview of the factors that most affect the likelihood that someone will move up, or down, the economic ladder. The report classifies these factors into three distinct categories: social capital, human capital and financial capital.
(JULY 2008)
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Upward Intergenerational Mobility in the United States
This report introduces two new measures of upward economic mobility, providing a more detailed look at economic mobility. It captures not only whether children surpass their parents’ income rung, but also the magnitude of their movement up the income ladder. It finds that while many experience upward mobility, the magnitude of their rise is minimal.
(MAY 2008)
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How Much Does the Federal Government Spend to Promote Economic Mobility & for Whom?
This comprehensive analysis of the federal budget focuses on the extent of federal direct spending and tax expenditures on economic mobility in America. How much does the federal government invest to encourage economic mobility? What form does this encouragement take? And who benefits from these efforts?
(FEBRUARY 2008)
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Getting Ahead or Losing Ground: Economic Mobility in America
While the promise of economic opportunity has been a central component of the American Dream, growing income inequality and slower economic growth suggest that now is an important moment to review the facts about opportunity and mobility in America. This paper takes a new look at the trends and issues impacting mobility including race, gender, international comparisons, education, wealth and immigration.
(FEBRUARY 2008)
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Economic Mobility: Is the American Dream Alive and Well?
The American Dream unites us in a common quest for individual and national success. New data raises provocative questions about the continuing ability of all Americans to move up the economic ladder and calls into question whether the American economic meritocracy is alive and well. This paper examines whether a rising tide lifts all ships or whether individual effort and talent allow a family’s boat to rise above others – or whether economic mobility is the combination of both.
(FEBRUARY 2008)
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Literature Reviews
The literature reviews presented here cover a broad range of individual and family factors including education, families, health, self-employment and wealth, and they address a variety of social factors including discrimination, globalization, immigration, labor market institutions and tax and spending policy.
(FEBRUARY 2008)
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