Most intergenerational mobility studies rely on either snapshot or time-averaged measures of earnings, but have yet to examine resemblance of earnings trajectories over the life course of successive generations. We propose a linked trajectory mobility approach that decomposes the progression of economic status over two generations into associations in four life-cycle dimensions: initial position, growth rate, growth deceleration, and volatility. Using father-son dyad data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we show that men resemble their fathers not only in the overall level of earnings but also in the pattern by which their earnings develop over time. The intergenerational persistence of earnings varies substantially across life stages of both generations; it is strongest for fathers’ early-career and sons’ mid-career, with an intergenerational elasticity (IGE) as high as .6. This result can be explained by the concurrence of the parent’s early career and the offspring’s early childhood. Our findings suggest the intergenerational economic association between parents and offspring is not age-constant but is contingent on the respective life stages of both generations and, most importantly, the period during which they overlap.

中文翻译：

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关联的生活，关联的轨迹：代内收入流动的代际关联

大多数代际流动研究依赖于收入的快照或时间平均衡量标准，但尚未研究在连续几代人的生命历程中收入轨迹的相似性。我们提出了一种关联轨迹移动方法，将两代人的经济状况进展分解为四个生命周期维度的关联：初始位置、增长率、增长减速和波动性。我们使用收入动态小组研究中的父子二人组数据表明，男性不仅在整体收入水平上，而且在收入随时间推移的发展模式上都与父亲相似。在两代人的生命阶段，收入的代际持久性差异很大；父亲的职业生涯早期和儿子的职业生涯中期最强，代际弹性 (IGE) 高达 0.6。这一结果可以通过父母早期职业生涯和后代早期童年的共同作用来解释。我们的研究结果表明，父母和后代之间的代际经济关联不是年龄恒定的，而是取决于两代人各自的生命阶段，最重要的是，取决于他们重叠的时期。