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Raj Chetty tracks decline of social mobility in U.S.
Born in New Delhi, India, Chetty is one of the youngest tenured professors in Harvard’s history.
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Raj Chetty / Image- news.yale.edu
Indian American economist Raj Chetty highlighted the decline of economic mobility in the United States and proposed data-driven strategies to reverse the trend during the inaugural lecture of a new series hosted by Yale Univeristy president Maurie McInnis.
The event, held at Zhang Auditorium on Feb. 19, featured a detailed presentation of Chetty’s research on intergenerational mobility, revealing significant disparities based on geography and socioeconomic factors.
Chetty, the William A. Ackman Professor of Public Economics at Harvard University and director of Opportunity Insights, highlighted that while more than 90 percent of children born in 1940 earned more than their parents, that number has dropped to just 50 percent for children born in the 1980s.
“It is this very trend that underlies a lot of the frustration that people around the U.S. are expressing, that this is no longer a country where it’s easy to get ahead, even through hard work,” Chetty said.
His research underscores the role of neighborhoods in shaping economic outcomes. Areas with lower poverty rates, stable family structures, better schools, and strong community networks foster greater mobility. Chetty’s team has conducted policy-driven interventions, such as a Seattle-based trial where low-income families receiving housing vouchers were given additional social support.
The initiative increased relocation to high-opportunity areas from 14 percent to 54 percent, with estimates suggesting that children in these environments could earn $200,000 more over their lifetimes. “This is a case where we can gain tremendously in terms of efficiency by spending a little bit more money to make the program more impactful,” he noted.
McInnis praised Chetty’s contributions, stating that his research “has not only transformed our understanding of intergenerational mobility but has also laid the base for evidence-based policies to accelerate it.”
Born in New Delhi, India, Chetty immigrated to the United States at age nine. He earned his Artium Baccalaureus and doctorate in economics from Harvard University, becoming one of the youngest tenured professors in Harvard’s history. He has previously held faculty positions at UC Berkeley and Stanford and is a recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal and a MacArthur Fellowship.
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