A Tale of Two Labor Markets: Intergenerational Occupational Mobility in Britain and the U.S. Since 1850

47 Pages Posted: 23 May 2005 Last revised: 2 Oct 2022

See all articles by Jason Long

Jason Long

Wheaton College

Joseph P. Ferrie

Northwestern University - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: April 2005

Abstract

The U.S. both tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is greater than Europe's. These attitudes and beliefs help account for differences in the magnitude of redistribution through taxation and social welfare spending. In fact, the U.S. and Europe had roughly equal rates of inter-generational occupational mobility in the late twentieth century. We extend this comparison into the late nineteenth century using longitudinal data on 23,000 nationally-representative British and U.S. fathers and sons. The U.S. was substantially more mobile then Britain through 1900, so in the experience of those who created the U.S. welfare state in the 1930s, the U.S. had indeed been "exceptional." The margin by which U.S. mobility exceeded British mobility was erased by the 1950s, as U.S. mobility fell compared to its nineteenth century levels.

Suggested Citation

Long, Jason and Ferrie, Joseph P., A Tale of Two Labor Markets: Intergenerational Occupational Mobility in Britain and the U.S. Since 1850 (April 2005). NBER Working Paper No. w11253, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=697178

Jason Long

Wheaton College ( email )

501 College Ave
Wheaton, IL 60187
United States

Joseph P. Ferrie (Contact Author)

Northwestern University - Department of Economics ( email )

2003 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208
United States
708-491-8210 (Phone)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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