Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Series: Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers
Creation-Date: 2025-02-14
Number: 25-010/V
Author-Name: Sander de Vries
Author-Workplace-Name: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Tinbergen Institute
Title: Measuring Family (Dis)Advantage: Lessons from Detailed Parental Information
Abstract: This paper provides new insights on the importance of family background by linking 1.7 million Dutch children’s incomes to an exceptionally rich set of family characteristics — including income, wealth, education, occupation, crime, and health. Using a machine learning approach, I show that conventional analyses using parental income only considerably underestimate intergenerational dependence. This underestimation is concentrated at the extremes of the child income distribution, where families are often (dis)advantaged across multiple dimensions. Gender differences in intergenerational dependence are minimal, despite allowing for complex gender-specific patterns. A comparison with adoptees highlights the role of pre-birth factors in driving intergenerational transmission.
Classification-JEL: I24, J24, J62
Keywords: Intergenerational mobility, inequality of opportunity
File-URL: https://papers.tinbergen.nl/25010.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 5.059.054 bytes
Handle: RePEc:tin:wpaper:20250010