Multigenerational Inequality
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.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2509.16734,
title = {Multigenerational Inequality},
author = {Jan Stuhler},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2509.16734},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
This paper has previously been published in the Research Handbook on Intergenerational Inequality, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd, https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800888265.00015