Intergenerational Mobility of Immigrants in 15 Destination Countries

Leah Boustan; Mathias Fjællegaard  Jensen; Ran Abramitzky; Elisa Jácome; Alan Manning; Santiago Pérez; Analysia Watley; Adrian Adermon; Jaime Arellano-Bover; Olof Åslund; Marie Connolly; Nathan Deutscher; Anne C. Gielen; Yvonne Giesing; Yajna Govind; Martin Halla; Dominik Hangartner; Yuyan Jiang; Cecilia Karmel; Fanny Landaud; Lindsey Macmillan; Isabel Z. Martínez; Alberto Polo; Panu Poutvaara; Hillel Rapoport; Sara Roman; Kjell G. Salvanes; Shmuel San; Michael Siegenthaler; Louis Sirugue; Javier Soria Espín; Jan Stuhler; Giovanni L. Violante; Dinand Webbink; Andrea Weber; Jonathan Zhang; Angela Zheng; Tom Zohar

doi:10.3386/w33558

Intergenerational Mobility of Immigrants in 15 Destination Countries

Leah Boustan
, Mathias Fjællegaard Jensen
, Ran Abramitzky
, Elisa Jácome
, Alan Manning
, Santiago Pérez
, Analysia Watley
, Adrian Adermon
, Jaime Arellano-Bover
, Olof Åslund
, Marie Connolly
, Nathan Deutscher
, Anne C. Gielen
, Yvonne Giesing
, Yajna Govind
, Martin Halla
, Dominik Hangartner
, Yuyan Jiang
, Cecilia Karmel
, Fanny Landaud

Lindsey Macmillan, Isabel Z. Martínez, Alberto Polo, Panu Poutvaara, Hillel Rapoport, Sara Roman, Kjell G. Salvanes, Shmuel San, Michael Siegenthaler, Louis Sirugue, Javier Soria Espín, Jan Stuhler, Giovanni L. Violante, Dinand Webbink, Andrea Weber, Jonathan Zhang, Angela Zheng, Tom Zohar

Department of Economics

Research output: Working paper › Research

Abstract

We estimate intergenerational mobility of immigrants and their children in fifteen receiving countries. We document large income gaps for first-generation immigrants that diminish in the second generation. Around half of the second-generation gap can be explained by differences in parental income, with the remainder due to differential rates of absolute mobility. The daughters of immigrants enjoy higher absolute mobility than daughters of locals in most destinations, while immigrant sons primarily enjoy this advantage in countries with long histories of immigration. Cross-country differences in absolute mobility are not driven by parental country-of-origin, but instead by destination labor markets and immigration policy.

Original language	English
Place of Publication	Cambridge, MA
Publisher	National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Number of pages	290
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3386/w33558
Publication status	Published - Mar 2025

Series	National Bureau of Economic Research. Working Paper Series
Number	33558
ISSN	0898-2937

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Boustan, L., Jensen, M. F., Abramitzky, R., Jácome, E., Manning, A., Pérez, S., Watley, A., Adermon, A., Arellano-Bover, J., Åslund, O., Connolly, M., Deutscher, N., Gielen, A. C., Giesing, Y., Govind, Y., Halla, M., Hangartner, D., Jiang, Y., Karmel, C., ... Zohar, T. (2025). Intergenerational Mobility of Immigrants in 15 Destination Countries. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). National Bureau of Economic Research. Working Paper Series No. 33558 https://doi.org/10.3386/w33558

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abstract = "We estimate intergenerational mobility of immigrants and their children in fifteen receiving countries. We document large income gaps for first-generation immigrants that diminish in the second generation. Around half of the second-generation gap can be explained by differences in parental income, with the remainder due to differential rates of absolute mobility. The daughters of immigrants enjoy higher absolute mobility than daughters of locals in most destinations, while immigrant sons primarily enjoy this advantage in countries with long histories of immigration. Cross-country differences in absolute mobility are not driven by parental country-of-origin, but instead by destination labor markets and immigration policy.",

author = "Leah Boustan and Jensen, \{Mathias Fj{\ae}llegaard\} and Ran Abramitzky and Elisa J{\'a}come and Alan Manning and Santiago P{\'e}rez and Analysia Watley and Adrian Adermon and Jaime Arellano-Bover and Olof {\AA}slund and Marie Connolly and Nathan Deutscher and Gielen, \{Anne C.\} and Yvonne Giesing and Yajna Govind and Martin Halla and Dominik Hangartner and Yuyan Jiang and Cecilia Karmel and Fanny Landaud and Lindsey Macmillan and Mart{\'i}nez, \{Isabel Z.\} and Alberto Polo and Panu Poutvaara and Hillel Rapoport and Sara Roman and Salvanes, \{Kjell G.\} and Shmuel San and Michael Siegenthaler and Louis Sirugue and Esp{\'i}n, \{Javier Soria\} and Jan Stuhler and Violante, \{Giovanni L.\} and Dinand Webbink and Andrea Weber and Jonathan Zhang and Angela Zheng and Tom Zohar",

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Boustan, L, Jensen, MF, Abramitzky, R, Jácome, E, Manning, A, Pérez, S, Watley, A, Adermon, A, Arellano-Bover, J, Åslund, O, Connolly, M, Deutscher, N, Gielen, AC, Giesing, Y, Govind, Y, Halla, M, Hangartner, D, Jiang, Y, Karmel, C, Landaud, F, Macmillan, L, Martínez, IZ, Polo, A, Poutvaara, P, Rapoport, H, Roman, S, Salvanes, KG, San, S, Siegenthaler, M, Sirugue, L, Espín, JS, Stuhler, J, Violante, GL, Webbink, D, Weber, A, Zhang, J, Zheng, A & Zohar, T 2025 'Intergenerational Mobility of Immigrants in 15 Destination Countries' National Bureau of Economic Research. Working Paper Series, no. 33558, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Cambridge, MA. https://doi.org/10.3386/w33558

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AU - Jensen, Mathias Fjællegaard

AU - Abramitzky, Ran

AU - Jácome, Elisa

AU - Manning, Alan

AU - Pérez, Santiago

AU - Watley, Analysia

AU - Adermon, Adrian

AU - Arellano-Bover, Jaime

AU - Åslund, Olof

AU - Connolly, Marie

AU - Deutscher, Nathan

AU - Gielen, Anne C.

AU - Giesing, Yvonne

AU - Govind, Yajna

AU - Halla, Martin

AU - Hangartner, Dominik

AU - Jiang, Yuyan

AU - Karmel, Cecilia

AU - Landaud, Fanny

AU - Macmillan, Lindsey

AU - Martínez, Isabel Z.

AU - Polo, Alberto

AU - Poutvaara, Panu

AU - Rapoport, Hillel

AU - Roman, Sara

AU - Salvanes, Kjell G.

AU - San, Shmuel

AU - Siegenthaler, Michael

AU - Sirugue, Louis

AU - Espín, Javier Soria

AU - Stuhler, Jan

AU - Violante, Giovanni L.

AU - Webbink, Dinand

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AU - Zheng, Angela

AU - Zohar, Tom

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