Intergenerational mobility : trends across the earnings distribution

Abstract

The analysis, based on register data for Norwegian cohorts born 1950, 1955 and 1960, shows that the intergenerational earnings mobility is high. Using quantile regression, mobility is found to be lower at the lower end of the earnings distribution than at the upper end. The findings also indicate that mobility increases over time and that the increase seems to be somewhat higher for lower earnings. Finally, we find that the increase in earnings mobility over time has been larger for women than for men.