Much of America's promise is predicated on the existence of economic mobilitythe idea that people are not limited or defined by where they start, but can move up the economic ladder based on their efforts and accomplishments. Family income mobilitychanges in individual families' real incomes...

This report surveys the research in OECD countries on intergenerational mobility – i.e. the extent to which key characteristics and life experiences of individuals differ from those of their parents. A number of findings emerge: Intergenerational earnings mobility varies significantly across...

Popular discussion of income and wealth distribution tend to focus on snapshots of distribution at a given moment in time, making it appear more unequal than it really is. This paper looks at mobility in and out of income and wealth distribution classes. It finds that all empirical measures of...

A growing literature uses repeated cross-section surveys to derive 'synthetic panel' data estimates of poverty dynamics statistics. It builds on the pioneering study by Dang, Lanjouw, Luoto, and McKenzie (Journal of Development Economics, 2014) providing bounds estimates and the innovative...

Wie sind die Einkommen und Vermögen in Deutschland verteilt? Auf diese so scheinbar einfache Frage gibt es oft keine einfache Antwort, manchmal nicht einmal eine eindeutige. Verschiedene gesellschaftliche Veränderungen wie die alternde Bevölkerung, die Tendenz zum Alleinleben oder der...

This paper examines the extent and determinants of structural poverty dynamics in South Africa, focusing on the socio economically disadvantaged urban African population. The quantitative analysis using panel data is triangulated with evidence from a qualitative case study integrating focus...

The bulk of economic studies on income distribution focus on the poor and/or on the rich, mostly ignoring those who fall between these two categories. Research on the polarisation of incomes reverses this perspective, considering the middle-income group as a crucial element of analysis. The...

This paper tests the existence of poverty traps in three Southern Cone countries: Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. We apply the methodology developed by Antman and McKenzie (2005): based on pseudopanels, we model the income dynamics of households and analyze the existence of heterogeneity in their...

Assessments of whose income growth is the greatest and whose is the smallest are typically based on comparisons of income changes for income groups (e.g. rich versus poor) or income values (e.g. quantiles). However, income group and quantile composition changes over time because of income...