See also Not (all) in our genes?
The Truth About Social Mobility
Full audio (55 min including Q&A; video is only 22 min highlights)
Many people assume that it is much easier to move between social classes today than at any point in humankind.
However, new research from Gregory Clark, professor of economics at the University of California, Davis, reveals that mobility rates are lower than conventionally estimated and surprisingly resistant to social policies.
By tracking family names over generations to measure social mobility across periods and countries, Clark reveals that more than ever, the only sure route to success is to be born to the right parents. And so we need to come up with new ways to tackle the entrenched force of inherited advantage and avoid creating winner-take-all societies.
Speaker: Gregory Clark, professor of economics, University of California, Davis
