Research and Data
Priorities for
Improving Economic
and Social Mobility
_____
Erin Hammers Forstag, Rapporteur
Committee on Population
Committee on National Statistics
Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
Proceedings of a Workshop
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
This activity was supported by a contract between the National Academy of Sciences and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number–13: 978-0-309-68962-5
International Standard Book Number–10: 0-309-68962-7
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/26598
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Research and Data Priorities for Improving Economic and Social Mobility: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26598.
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PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR WORKSHOP ON STRENGTHENING THE EVIDENCE BASE TO IMPROVE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL MOBILITY IN THE UNITED STATES
Courtney C. Coile (Chair), Wellesley College
Wendy Edelberg, Brookings Institution, Washington, DC
Kathleen Mullan Harris, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Trevon D. Logan, The Ohio State University
Fabian T. Pfeffer, University of Michigan
Mario L. Small, Harvard University
C. Matthew Snipp, Stanford University
Malay K. Majmundar, Study Director
Joshua Lang, Senior Program Assistant
COMMITTEE ON POPULATION
Anne R. Pebley (Chair), University of California, Los Angeles
Emily M. Agree, Johns Hopkins University
Deborah Balk, Baruch College at the City University of New York
Ann K. Blanc, The Population Council, New York, NY
Courtney C. Coile, Wellesley College
Sonal Desai, University of Maryland
Dana A. Glei, Georgetown University
Robert A. Hummer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Hedwig Lee, Washington University in St. Louis
Trevon D. Logan, The Ohio State University
Jennifer J. Manly, Columbia University Medical Center
Jenna Nobles, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Fernando Riosmena, University of Colorado Boulder
David Takeo Takeuchi, University of Washington
Malay K. Majmundar, Director
COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL STATISTICS
Robert M. Groves (Chair), Office of the Provost, Georgetown University
Lawrence D. Bobo, Department of Sociology, Harvard University
Anne C. Case, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
Mick P. Couper, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
Janet M. Currie, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
Diana Farrell, JPMorgan Chase Institute, Washington, DC
Robert Goerge, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago
Erica L. Groshen, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University
Hilary Hoynes, Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley
Daniel Kifer, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University
Sharon Lohr, School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Arizona State University, Emerita
Jerome P. Reiter, Department of Statistical Science, Duke University
Judith A. Seltzer, Department of Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles
C. Matthew Snipp, School of the Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University
Elizabeth A. Stuart, Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Jeannette Wing, Data Science Institute and Computer Science Department, Columbia University
Brian Harris-Kojetin, Director
Melissa Chiu, Deputy Director
Constance F. Citro, Senior Scholar
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Acknowledgments
This document summarizes the discussions and presentations at the Workshop on Strengthening the Evidence Base to Improve Economic and Social Mobility in the United States. Held virtually on February 14-15, 2022, the workshop was convened by the Committee on Population of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and it was sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
This Proceedings of a Workshop was prepared by the workshop rapporteur as a factual summary of what occurred at the workshop. The planning committee’s role was limited to planning and convening the workshop. The views contained in the proceedings are those of individual workshop participants and do not necessarily represent the views of all workshop participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies.
This proceedings was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published proceedings as sound as possible while ensuring that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.
We thank Courtney Coile, Department of Economics, Wellesley College, for her review of this proceedings. We also thank staff reader Anne Styka for reading and providing helpful comments on the proceedings manuscript.
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the proceedings nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this proceedings was overseen by David Takeuchi, School of Social Work, University of Washington. He was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this proceedings was carried out in accordance with standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the rapporteur and the National Academies.
Malay K. Majmundar, Director
Committee on Population
Contents
2 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY: STATE OF THE FIELD
Introduction to Social and Economic Mobility
3 CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES AND FRAMEWORKS
Integrating Intergenerational and Intragenerational Mobility
Interventions to Increase Mobility
4 STUDYING THE SPATIAL DIMENSIONS OF MOBILITY
Research Priorities for Place-Based Investments
Studying Mobility in Urban Areas
Studying Mobility in Rural Areas
5 STUDYING MOBILITY BY RACE, ETHNICITY, AND IMMIGRATION STATUS
