Social mobility in developing countries: Pathways for research and policy at Shiv Nadar University

Kunal Sen delivers a seminar at the Department of Economics, Shiv Nadar University, New Delhi. 

Social mobility is critical to major global goals, those enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals and to the broader goals of development. Yet, little attention has been given to a serious study of social mobility in developing countries to date.

While compelling research on the subject has provided deep insights into measuring and improving levels of upward socio-economic mobility in advanced post-industrial economies, in the developing world both poverty and inequality studies have been a more primary focus. In a new, authoritative, and foundational text, authors from around the world, representing the expertise of several disciplines, have come together to argue the need for a social mobility focused research agenda. The new book, Social Mobility in Developing Countries: Concepts, Methods, and Determinants, produced by UNU-WIDER, edited by Vegard Iversen, Anirudh Krishna, and Kunal Sen, and published by Oxford University Press offers students, researchers, and practitioners the tools needed to study social mobility in the Global South. The book is available open access. 

The lecture will present the main findings of the book on knowledge gaps, research practice, and policy options. An empirical illustration from India on multigenerational mobility will also be presented.