Countries with high income inequality also show a strong association between parents’
and children’s economic well-being; i.e. low intergenerational mobility. This study is the
first to test this relationship in a between and within country setup, using harmonized
micro data from 18 Latin American countries spanning multiple cohorts. It is shown that
experiencing higher income inequality in childhood is associated with lower intergenerational
mobility as adults. Furthermore, the influence of economic growth and public
education is evaluated: both have a positive, significant, and substantial effect on intergenerational
mobility.