Getting Ahead

Getting Ahead PDF Author: Daniel P. McMurrer
Publisher: The Urban Insitute
ISBN: 9780877666745
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 120

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Book Description
Adapted in part from the "Opportunity in America" series of policy briefs, this volume focuses on social and economic mobility in the United States. Class or family background has a strong effect on individual success, the authors find. They examine the possible reasons for this relationship; how it has changed over the past century; and the role of the economy, the welfare system, and education in opening up opportunities for the less fortunate.

Getting Ahead

Getting Ahead PDF Author: Daniel P. McMurrer
Publisher: The Urban Insitute
ISBN: 9780877666745
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 120

Get Book Here

Book Description
Adapted in part from the "Opportunity in America" series of policy briefs, this volume focuses on social and economic mobility in the United States. Class or family background has a strong effect on individual success, the authors find. They examine the possible reasons for this relationship; how it has changed over the past century; and the role of the economy, the welfare system, and education in opening up opportunities for the less fortunate.

Inequality of Opportunity

Inequality of Opportunity PDF Author: Juan Gabriel Rodríguez
Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing
ISBN: 1780520344
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 259

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Book Description
Eight papers, both theoretical and applied, on the concept of equality of opportunity which says that a society should guarantee its members equal access to advantage regardless of their circumstances, while holding them responsible for turning that access into actual advantage by the application of effort.

Income Mobility and the U.S. Economy

Income Mobility and the U.S. Economy PDF Author: Christopher Frenze
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Income
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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Book Description


The American Dream Is Not Dead

The American Dream Is Not Dead PDF Author: Michael R. Strain
Publisher: Templeton Foundation Press
ISBN: 1599475588
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 169

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Book Description
Populists on both sides of the political aisle routinely announce that the American Dream is dead. According to them, the game has been rigged by elites, workers can’t get ahead, wages have been stagnant for decades, and the middle class is dying. Michael R. Strain, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, disputes this rhetoric as wrong and dangerous. In this succinctly argued volume, he shows that, on measures of economic opportunity and quality of life, there has never been a better time to be alive in America. He backs his argument with overwhelming—and underreported—data to show how the facts favor realistic optimism. He warns, however, that the false prophets of populism pose a serious danger to our current and future prosperity. Their policies would leave workers worse off. And their erroneous claim that the American Dream is dead could discourage people from taking advantage of real opportunities to better their lives. If enough people start to believe the Dream is dead, they could, in effect, kill it. To prevent this self-fulfilling prophecy, Strain’s book is urgent reading for anyone feeling the pull of the populists. E. J. Dionne and Henry Olsen provide spirited responses to Strain’s argument.

New Markets, New Opportunities?

New Markets, New Opportunities? PDF Author: Nancy Birdsall
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
ISBN: 9780815723585
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
A Brookings Institution Press and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace publication Many of the countries that have recently converted to a market-based economic system have also experienced an alarming increase in income inequality — a widening gap between the haves and have nots. But to what extent is the increase in inequality also increasing the opportunities for economic advancement — particularly for those at the bottom of the economic ladder? Does the creation of greater opportunities make a region's move to the market politically acceptable? And, if opportunities don't increase along with inequality, will it eventually cause a political backlash against a country's market policies? This book highlights the importance of finding the answers to those questions by examining the issues of social mobility and opportunity as an essential part of the income inequality puzzle. It provides a summary of the latest research on the economics and politics of social mobility in both developed and emerging market economies, including the conceptual issues involved and the challenges of accurately documenting trends. The book concludes with a discussion of the economics of opportunity and mobility in Latin America and Eastern Europe, and the politics and perceptions of mobility in the two regions.

Generational Income Mobility in North America and Europe

Generational Income Mobility in North America and Europe PDF Author: Miles Corak
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9781139455763
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
Labour markets in North America and Europe have changed tremendously in the face of increased globalisation and technical progress, raising important challenges for policy makers concerned with equality of opportunity. This book examines the influence of both changes in income inequality and of social policies on the degree to which economic advantage is passed on between parents and children in the rich countries. Standard theoretical models of generational dynamics are extended to examine generational income and earnings mobility over time and across space. Over twenty contributors from North America and Europe offer comparable estimates of the degree of mobility, changes in mobility, and the impact of government policy. In so doing, they strengthen the analytical tool kit used in the study of generational mobility, and offer insights for research and directions in dealing with equality of opportunity and child poverty.

Fair Progress?

Fair Progress? PDF Author: Ambar Narayan
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464812799
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Fair Progress? Economic Mobility across Generations around the World focuses on an issue that has gotten much attention in the developed world, but will present new data and analysis covering most of the world including developing economies. The analysis considers whether those born in poverty or in prosperity are destined to remain in the same economic circumstances into which they were born, and looks back over a half a century at whether children's lives are better or worse than their parents' in different parts of the world. It suggests local, national, and global actions and policies that can help break the cycle of poverty, paving the way for the next generation to realize their potential and improve their lives.

Getting Ahead Or Losing Ground

Getting Ahead Or Losing Ground PDF Author: Julia B. Isaacs
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Income
Languages : en
Pages : 112

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Book Description
"In sum, the research reviewed in this volume leads us to the view that the glass is half empty and half full. The American Dream is alive if somewhat frayed. Most people are better off than their parents, but slower and less broadly shared economic growth has made the economy more of a zero-sum game than it used to be, with very high stakes for the winners. Some subgroups, such as immigrants, are doing especially well. Others, such as African Americans are losing ground. Americans have generally been tolerant of unequal outcomes in the past, even as gaps between the rich and the poor have risen, since most believe that opportunities to get ahead are abundant and that hard work and skill are well rewarded. We find considerable fluidity in American society. One's familiy background as a child, measured in terms of either income or wealth, has a relatively modest effect on one's subsequent success as an adult, especially if one grew up in middle-class circumstances. Those at top or bottom of the ladder are somewhat less mobile. In addition, there is no evidence that opportunity has increased in a way that might offset the slower and less broadly shared growth of income and wealth that families have experienced. Nor is there evidence that the United States is in any way exceptional when compared to other advanced countries. Indeed, a number of advanced countries provide more opportunity to their citizens than does the United States" -- Overview (pp.1-2).

Policies to Address Poverty in America

Policies to Address Poverty in America PDF Author: Melissa Kearney
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
ISBN: 0815726473
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 508

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Book Description
One-in-seven adults and one-in-five children in the United States live in poverty. Individuals and families living in povertyÊnot only lack basic, material necessities, but they are also disproportionally afflicted by many social and economic challenges. Some of these challenges include the increased possibility of an unstable home situation, inadequate education opportunities at all levels, and a high chance of crime and victimization. Given this growing social, economic, and political concern, The Hamilton Project at Brookings asked academic experts to develop policy proposals confronting the various challenges of AmericaÕs poorest citizens, and to introduce innovative approaches to addressing poverty.ÊWhen combined, the scope and impact of these proposals has the potential to vastly improve the lives of the poor. The resulting 14 policy memos are included in The Hamilton ProjectÕs Policies to Address Poverty in America. The main areas of focus include promoting early childhood development, supporting disadvantaged youth, building worker skills, and improving safety net and work support.

Income Mobility in the U.S.

Income Mobility in the U.S. PDF Author: U. S. Department U.S. Department of Treasury
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781505389562
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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Book Description
There is considerable income mobility in the U.S. economy as households move up and down in the income distribution over time. Previous studies have typically found that roughly half of the families in the bottom 20 percent of the income distribution have moved up out of the bottom 20 percent within 10 years and that some of them have moved all the way to the top 20 percent. This paper examines income mobility in the United States during the period 1987 through 1996 using individual income tax data. The analysis uses three alternative measures of relative and absolute income mobility that provide different perspectives on changes in household income over time. Consistent with prior studies, this study finds significant household income mobility over this period. More than half (56 percent by one measure and 57 percent by another measure) of households moved to a higher or lower income quintile between 1987 and 1996. Approximately half (61 percent by one measure and 45 percent by another measure) of the households initially in the bottom 20 percent of the population moved to a higher quintile within ten years. In addition, this study finds that the largest percentage increases in real incomes were for those initially in the lowest income groups. The results illustrate how one-time snapshots of the income distribution provide only a partial picture of the economic situation of households by ignoring the effects of income mobility on the well-being of households over time.