Issue Brief: Social Mobility in the United States
The brief seeks to address some of the unresolved questions regarding the extent to which rising inequality affects social mobility. Is upward mobility still a defining characteristic of American society or has increased inequality diminished opportunity and weakened social mobility? How likely is it that children born into the bottom of the income distribution will be able to move up the economic ladder? What factors contribute to a more mobile society? To what extent can public policies foster greater economic mobility?