An area of growing interest in poverty research is putting the American Dream to the test, in an international context.
Just as traveling abroad provides insight into one's native culture, comparing the socioeconomic status of adult children with that of their parents—both within and across nations—is enabling researchers to isolate the factors that enhance or impede intergenerational mobility.
A group of international researchers recently convened at a UW–Madison working conference hosted by the Institute for Research on Poverty to compare findings.
The 'Intergenerational Mobility' (IGM) conference explored intergenerational persistence and mobility in the United States and several other nations, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Sweden, and Finland.
Participants examined the effect of childhood poverty on future earnings and family income; the role of early childhood programs and family factors on child achievement; income-related gaps in school readiness; intergenerational wealth transfers and credit market constraints; the role of parents in occupational choice; and the role of social institutions in intergenerational mobility.
A conference volume will be published in 2011.