Social Science Forum on Surnames and Social Mobility

SURNAMES AND SOCIAL MOBILITY: WHY SO MUCH PERSISTENCE OF STATUS ACROSS GENERATIONS?

How much of our fate is tied to the status of our parents and grandparents? Using a novel technique–tracking family names over generations to measure social mobility across countries and periods—renowned economic historian Gregory Clark argues that social mobility rates are lower than conventionally estimated, do not vary across societies, and are resistant to social policies.