Why the Apple Doesn't Fall Far: Understanding Intergenerational Transmission of Human Capital

摘要

Parents with higher education levels have children with higher education levels. Why is this? There are a number of possible explanations. One is a pure selection story: the type of parent who has more education and earns a higher salary has the type of child who will do so as well, regardless. Another story is one of causation: obtaining more education makes one a different type of parent, and thus leads to the children having higher educational outcomes. Distinguishing between these scenarios is important from a policy perspective. One of the key roles of publicly provided education in our society is to increase equality of opportunity, and many policies have been implemented to further that goal in recent years. A possible benefit of this type of education policy is the spillover effect on later generations; having more educated citizens may have longer-run effects by improving the outcomes of their children. The research to date has been limited, however, in its ability to distinguish between selection and causation.