Monday, November 10, 2025
9:00 a.m. - 6:15 p.m. (GMT+01:00) Florence
Location: Off Campus Badia Fiesolana - Emeroteca, European University Institute
How do inequalities persist—or change—across generations? Why do some families and communities experience enduring advantages while others face structural barriers to mobility? This event will bring together leading economists and sociologists to address these questions from multiple perspectives.
Sessions will span new research on gender differences in intergenerational earnings, the role of school networks, long-term mobility trends among Asian Americans, and the geography of upward mobility in developing countries. The day will conclude with a policy panel featuring experts from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Bank, and European Commission, bridging research and practice to explore how insights on persistence and inequality can inform policy interventions.
This workshop is co-sponsored by the Inequality, Welfare, and Social Justice Cluster at European University Institute and the Georgetown University Global Economic Challenges Network.
How to RSVP
To sign up to attend in-person, please RSVP with the European University Institute. To sign up to receive the recording, please fill out this Google form.
Program
9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. CET | Welcome Remarks
9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. CET | "Measuring and Explaining the Intergenerational Earnings Persistence of Women and Men," Jo Blanden, Professor, University of Surrey, joint with Stuart Campbell and Lindsey Macmillan
10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. CET | "Patrons, Protégés, and Peers: Workplace Mechanisms of Intergenerational Inequality," Per Engzell, Associate Professor, University College London
11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. CET | Coffee Break
11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. CET | "First Generation Elite: The Role of School Social Networks," Kjell Salvanes, Research Professor, Norwegian School of Economics, joint with Sarah Cattan and Emma Tominey
12:15 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. CET | "A Tale of Two Periods: Changes in Asian Americans' Mobility Over the Last Century," Xi Song, Schiffman Family Presidential Professor of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. CET | Cocktail Lunch and Networking
2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. CET | "Dynastic Human Capital, Ethnic Capital, and Intergenerational Mobility of Immigrants," Mikael Lindahl, Professor, University of Gothenburg
3:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. CET | "Politics and Intergenerational Social Mobility," Herman van de Werfhorst, Professor, European University Institute
4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. CET | Coffee Break
4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. CET | "Geography, Human Capital, and Upward Mobility in Developing Countries," Alexander Ludwig, Professor, European University Institute, joint with Alexander Monge-Naranjo and Nicolas Syrichas
5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. CET | Policy Panel with Sebastian Koenigs, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; Vincenzo di Maro, Senior Economist, World Bank; and Fabiana Pierini, European Commission; moderated by Francis Vella, Georgetown University