RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Contemporary State Policies and Intergenerational Income Mobility
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 0717-8921R1
DO 10.3368/jhr.57.4.0717-8921R1
A1 Lars J. Lefgren
A1 Jaren C. Pope
A1 David P. Sims
YR 2020
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2020/05/04/jhr.57.4.0717-8921R1.abstract
AB Using county-level analysis, this study demonstrates that there exists at most a minor relationship between the large, contemporary geographical variation in U.S. intergenerational income mobility and state-level policies. In addition to investigating the effects of specific policies, we introduce an omnibus test for state policy differences in total, based on the principle of geographic discontinuities. We further explore the discrepancy between these findings and the expected efficacy of mobility-enhancing policies seen in common, applied economic models and successful program evaluations. We conclude that the gap between quasi-experimental evaluations and observed policy effects presents pressing questions for further study.