Work

Historical Place-Based Investments and Contemporary Economic Mobility and Inequality: Impacts of University Establishment

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: We explore how historic university establishment has impacted contemporary county-level economic mobility and inequality outcomes using site-selection natural experiments. We find that universities have led to greater mid-life upward intergenerational income mobility and more income inequality. We highlight five channels through which these effects operate: sorting of highachieving households into university counties; a “hollowing-out” of local labor markets which has provided opportunities to achieve top incomes as well as increased inequality; increased educational attainment across the income distribution, greater innovative activity, and higher levels of social capital.

Source: Maryland Shared Open Access Repository (USMAI Consortium)

DOI: 10.13016/m2j9db-nvky

Authors: Russell, Lauren C., Andrews, Michael

Language: English

Topic: Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W6922715938

FWCI:

Cites:

Cited by:

Related to: