Following rare surnames through centuries of institutional records (universities, professional registers, parliaments) reveals that high and low family status persists much longer than short‑term parent–child income correlations suggest. Clark argues these long‑run patterns point to a heritable or very stable underlying competence that standard mobility measures (based on a few generations) miss.
— If correct, this reframes policy: short‑term mobility metrics understate entrenched inequality and imply limits to interventions focused only on single‑generation uplift.
2023.08.03
100% relevant
Gregory Clark's empirical technique (tracking rare surnames across university enrollment lists, physician registers, and parliamentary lists in multiple countries) and his claim that persistence rates are similar across diverse societies.
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