Gregory Clark on Social Mobility, Migration, and Assortative Mating (Live at Mercatus)

Key takeaways

Social mobility rates have remained largely unchanged for the last 300 years.
Improvements in living standards can be seen as a form of mobility, though relative ranking remains static.
Migration and assortative mating significantly influence social and economic outcomes.
Cultural and genetic factors play critical roles in determining social outcomes.
Policymakers should consider the complexities of mobility and social structures to foster economic growth.

Summary

Historical Perspective on Social Mobility

Greg Clark discusses his research on social mobility, emphasizing that rates of mobility have not significantly changed over the last 300 years, even across various political and economic systems. He highlights the persistent nature of social mobility, suggesting that people's societal standings are more predictable than many assume.

Mobility and Its Dimensions

The conversation revolves around the relative versus absolute measures of mobility. Clark argues that while people today may live in better conditions than their ancestors, the relative mobility—defined by status compared to one's parents—remains largely unchanged. Tyler Cowan challenges this view by suggesting that improvements in living standards should also be viewed as a form of mobility.

The Role of Migration and Assortative Mating

Clark elaborates on how migration impacts social mobility, agreeing with Cowan that physical movement can enhance economic success. Both discuss assortative mating and its implications, noting how individuals often marry within their social strata or similar backgrounds, perpetuating economic divides.

Cultural and Genetic Influences on Society

The discussion shifts to cultural inertia and the effects of genetics on social outcomes. Clark posits that society's trajectory can often be traced back to genetic inheritance and social structures, addressing the debate between hereditary factors and environmental influences in determining one's social position.

The Implications for Policy and Society

Cowan and Clark delve into the implications of their findings for societal policies. They explore how socioeconomic systems can either hinder or enhance social mobility and how understanding these dynamics can lead to better policy decisions for economic growth and opportunity.

Show notes

How much of your life's trajectory was set in motion centuries ago? Gregory Clark has spent decades studying social mobility, and his findings suggest that where you land in society is far more predictable than we like to think. Using historical data, surname analysis, and migration patterns, Clark argues that social mobility rates have remained largely unchanged for 300 years—even across radically different political and economic systems.

He and Tyler discuss why we should care about relative mobility vs growing the size of the pie, how physical mobility does and doesn't matter, why England was a meritocracy by 1700, how assortative mating affects economic and social progress, why India industrialized so late, a new potential explanation why Britain's economic performance has been lukewarm since WWI, Malthusian societies then and now, whether a "hereditarian" stance favors large-scale redistribution or a free-market approach, the dynamics of assimilation within Europe and the role of negative selection in certain migrations, the challenge of accurately measuring living standards, the neighborhood-versus-family debate over what drives mobility, whether we need datasets larger than humanity itself to decode the genetics of social outcomes, and much more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.

Recorded February 5th, 2025.

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