摘要：Income inequality is higher in the United States than most other developed nations.[1] Among 13 of the most highly developed countries, rates of social mobility (as reflected in high rates of intergenerational income persistence) in the United States are lower than all but the United Kingdom and Italy.[2] These measures may be related: more unequal countries tend to have lower rates of social mobility.[3] Research from the United States confirms that this international pattern is also observed domestically across U.S. states.[4] A critical question is whether this relationship might reflect something causal. Might higher levels of income inequality actually lead to lower rates of social mobility, particularly lower rates of upward mobility for individuals from low-income families? If so, through what mechanisms?
