Internal Migration, Education, and Intergenerational Mobility: Evidence from American History

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Human Resources
Year: 2022
Volume: 57
Issue: 6

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

To what extent does internal migration lead to upward mobility? Using within-brother variation and a new linked data set from the early 20th century, I show that internal migration led to significant gains in economic status. On average, the effect of migration was three to four times the effect of one year of education; for those raised in poorer households, the effect was up to ten times that of education. The evidence suggests that internal migration was a key strategy for intergenerational progress in a context of rapid industrialization, large rural-to-urban flows, and wide interregional income gaps.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:uwp:jhriss:v:57:y:2022:i:6:p:1981-2011
Journal Field
Labor
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-29