Multigenerational Inequality
arXiv:2509.16734 · doi:10.4337/9781800888265.00015
Abstract
A growing literature provides evidence on multigenerational inequality -- the extent to which socio-economic advantages persist across three or more generations. This chapter reviews its main findings and implications. Most studies find that inequality is more persistent than a naive iteration of conventional parent-child correlations would suggest. We discuss potential interpretations of this new ``fact'' related to (i) latent, (ii) non-Markovian or (iii) non-linear transmission processes, empirical strategies to discriminate between them, and the link between multigenerational and assortative associations.
This paper has previously been published in the Research Handbook on Intergenerational Inequality, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd, https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800888265.00015