Social mobility and inequality
How strongly do family circumstances shape life chances? I study the measurement, causes and economic consequences of intergenerational mobility and unequal opportunities.
Guido Neidhöfer
Research
My research examines inequality and social mobility, connecting education, labour markets, migration and economic development.
Research themes
Education and human capital
I examine how education and social policies influence skills, opportunity and development, including the long-term and intergenerational effects of economic shocks.
Migration and integration
My work explores migrant selection, the opportunities migration creates for the next generation, and policies that support the integration of migrant and refugee families.
Globalisation and technological change
I investigate how trade and new technologies reshape labour markets, change the role of family background and affect mobility across generations.
Explore the research topic map
Podcasts and interviews
The Talent We Waste
A conversation about social mobility, unequal opportunities and breaking the cycle of poverty.
Listen to the episode ↗Colours of the Economy talks
A conversation with Regional Chief Economist Şebnem Şahin about social mobility, equality of opportunity and inclusive economic development.
Listen to the episode ↗Wann lohnt sich Bildung?
With Bastian Thüne, I discuss educational mobility, equal opportunities and the innovative capacity of regions.
Listen to the episode ↗Welche Bedeutung hat Chancengleichheit für Wirtschaftswachstum?
A discussion of the relationship between equality of opportunity and economic growth.
Listen to the episode ↗Social mobility and economic development
An interview about the link between intergenerational mobility and economic development.
Watch the interview ↗Educational inequalities during the pandemic
A television conversation about educational inequality and the consequences of the pandemic.
Watch the interview ↗Current working papers
Child Labor and the Persistence of Inequality: Evidence from the World’s Least Mobile Country
Using data from Mozambique, we examine how parental education, household wealth and children’s work relate to persistent inequality. The results point to the importance of labour market structures and the opportunity costs of schooling.
The Long-Run Effects of Conditional Cash Transfers: The Case of Bolsa Familia in Brazil
We investigate whether Bolsa Família improves beneficiaries’ outcomes beyond childhood. The analysis finds evidence of higher educational attainment and labour income, alongside a lower likelihood of receiving the transfer as an adult.
Intergenerational Returns to Migration: Evidence from Italian Migrants Worldwide
Using administrative information on Italians abroad, we study the effects of parental migration on descendants’ education, employment and income. We examine differences across destinations and the role of opportunities for children in migration decisions.
Trade Shocks and Social Mobility: The Intergenerational Effect of Import Competition in Brazil
We study whether increased import competition affects the next generation. Children whose fathers were more exposed to Chinese imports have worse educational and labour market outcomes, with particularly strong effects among disadvantaged families.
More papers and reports: ZEW profile · Google Scholar. Published journal articles are listed on the Publications page.
Policy reports and commentary
Selected policy contributions and articles for wider audiences.
- Growing Educational Gaps in Latin America: How to Avoid the Most Lasting Scar from COVID-19 (with Nora Lustig and Mariano Tommasi), Future of Work in the Global South - Policy Brief, 2021.
- "Back to the 1960s? Education May Be Latin America’s Most Lasting Scar from COVID-19" (with Nora Lustig and Mariano Tommasi) in Americas Quarterly, 2020. Spanish version in El Tiempo (Colombia) here, Portuguese version in Estadao (Brazil) here
"Rethinking Schooling - On the effects of school closures on the competence development of primary school children and the need for equality in education provision" (with Maximilian Bach, Sarah McNamara and Friedhelm Pfeiffer) ZEW expert brief No. 20-13, 2020 - German version: Schule neu denken - Zu den Auswirkungen von Schulschließungen auf die Kompetenzentwicklung von Grundschülern/-innen und zur Wiederherstellung des gefährdeten Gleichheitsanspruchs der Bildungspolitik, ZEW-Kurzexpertise Nr. 20-13.
- "COVID-19 and Inequality" (with Sarra Ben Yahmed, Lorenzo Cappellari, Daniele Checchi, Miles Corak, Stephen Jenkins, Michèle Tertilt and Mariano Tommasi) ZEW policy brief Nr. 20-05, 2020.
- "Long run consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on social inequality" in Lustig, N. & Tommasi, M. (2020). El COVID-19 y la protección social de los grupos pobres y vulnerables. UNDP.
- "El impacto del COVID-19 sobre la desigualdad, la pobreza y la movilidad intergeneracional" in Factor Trabajo (IADB Blog)
- "Kita-Besuch von Kindern aus nach Deutschland geflüchteten Familien verbessert Integration ihrer Mütter" (with Ludovica Gambaro and C. Katharina Spieß) DIW Wochenbericht, 2019.
- "Educational inequality and social mobility in Latin America" in BOLD (Blog on Learning and Development)
- "Desigualdad educativa y movilidad social en América Latina: La historia de cinco décadas" in Vox LACEA
- "Italiani in Germania: sulla buona strada dell‘integrazione" in Neodemos. Winner of the award "Neodemos e i giovani" 2015.
- "Der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Stamm: Über Chancengleichheit und Aufstiegschancen in Deutschland" in Inequalitics
"Quando parlare della scuola diventa un tabù: La disuguaglianza sociale ed il sistema scolastico tedesco" in Eticaeconomia