Economics
The long-term economic environment can create high levels or low levels of upward mobility across an entire generation. Generally speaking, economic growth, productivity growth, economic freedoms, low taxes and favorable demographics create greater upward mobility.Demographics | Economic Freedom |
Economic Output | Economic Stability |
Growth | Inflation |
Interest Rates | Investment Returns |
Labor Demand | Labor Productivity |
Real Wages | Taxation |
Education
Access to an affordable and high quality education with a merit-based admissions system increases upward mobility. Low quality or expensive education systems decrease social mobility. Likewise, an admissions system that gives preference to an elite decreases opportunity for other social classes.Access to Education | Cost of Education |
Merit-Based Admissions | Quality of Public Education |
Quality of Life
It is far more difficult to get ahead in life if you are dealing with basic quality of life issues in areas such as health, safety, security, housing, transport, social stability and general happiness factors such as access to nature. As such, it is often easier for higher social classes to advance economically than for lower social classes. All else being equal, societies with a strong social safety net provide greater upward mobility.Access to Healthcare | Access to Housing |
Access to Transportation | Basic Income |
Clean Air | Community |
Cost of Healthcare | Cost of Housing |
Discretionary Income | Family |
Freedom | Healthy Environment |
Quality of Healthcare | Safety of Neighborhood |
Cultural Capital
Cultural capital is the ability to influence in the context of a social group such as an elite. This includes factors such as language, norms, expectations, shared experiences and memberships. For example, an elite that have particular language, norms, values, habits and experiences that signal inclusion and social status. These social signals can be used to exclude outsiders from a social class. For example, company executives who will only hire from high status universities that signal inclusion in an economic elite.Credentials | Etiquette |
Experiences | Fashion |
Language | Memberships |
Norms | Relational Capital |
Social Status | Values |
Human Capital
Human capital is the talent, drive, health and capacity of a nation for productivity, creativity and change. For example, a school system that produces creative, disciplined students with a love of learning and high self-confidence may lead to greater upward mobility across a generation. Negative influences on people's lives such as health epidemics or an education system that destroys capacity for creativity and learning will tend to decrease upward mobility.Agents of Change | Creativity |
Diligence | Discipline |
Entrepreneurs | Health |
Imagination | Innovators |
Know-how | Knowledge |
Leaders | Life Expectations |
Motivation | Personal Resilience |
Pioneers | Role Models |
Self-Confidence | Talent |
Notes
Upward mobility refers to the potential for individuals to move into a higher socioeconomic class. For example, lower class to middle class and middle class to upper middle class. This doesn't necessarily translate to higher quality of life.| Overview: Upward Mobility | ||
Type | ||
Definition | The potential for an individual, group or generation to increase their economic and social status. | |
Notes | A class-based concept centered around defined socioeconomic classes such as the middle class and upper middle class. | |
Related Concepts | ||
