Parental Transfers Amplify Child Inequality

Using twin data from China and Sweden, the study finds parents invest similarly in children during childhood and divide bequests equally, but inter vivos (lifetime) transfers differ: Chinese parents tend to reinforce income inequality while Swedish parents distribute wealth more equally. Parental education predicts which pattern appears—less‑educated parents reinforce inequality, more‑educated parents split wealth evenly. — If intra‑family lifetime transfers vary by country and parental education, they are a key, actionable channel for persistent inequality and therefore matter for inheritance tax, education policy, and social mobility debates.