Intergenerational Mobility and Inequality in China: Evidence from the Chinese Household Income Project*

Abstract

We document intergenerational mobility in the income distribution in China, using Chinese Household Income Project survey data from the 1990s till 2013. To obtain a robust picture of mobility, we use several measures of mobility: from the most commonly used intergenerational income elasticity to the innovative rank mobility measures. We then estimate quantile regressions to capture variation along the income distribution. Conclusively, our results suggest higher dependence of children’s income on parental income for lower income generational pairs, indicating challenges to promote upward mobility and reducing inequality.