Opportunities around Europe: an empirical analysis of the Intergenerational mobility.

Abstract

A child cannot choose its parents neither its gender nor ethnicity. It’s not a child’s fault their choice of school, lack of resources or absence of role models. Therefore, any meritocratic liberal society must grapple with how inequalities persist across generations. Consequently, this thesis has the main goal of analysing intergenerational mobility and the transmission of socioeconomic advantages from parents to children in Europe. In particular, we try to answer to the following questions: which are the main differences around Europe in terms of intergenerational mobility? which are the causes? and how countries can intervene to implement it? To answer this, the review examines the issue of intergenerational mobility following three paths: Firstly, explaining what intergenerational mobility is, the main factors influencing it and the main ways through in can be measured. Secondly, through an analysis we try to explain the main differences between European countries in terms of mobility and we try to observe if differences exist according to a gender criterion. Finally, understood which is the situation around Europe, we try to explain how the countries can intervene to correct social immobility and why implementing a good policy can implement equality and improvements in the economic outcome.