Are the Alps a Land of Opportunity? Intergenerational Correlation Estimates from Austria

Jubiläumsfonds der Österreichischen Nationalbank

Most people consider a society fair when individuals, regardless of their starting conditions, have equal opportunities to succeed in life. Intergenerational mobility is a key measure of a society’s ability to provide such opportunities. One of the biggest challenges in assessing intergenerational mobility is data availability. Researchers need reliable measures of permanent income (or other key outcomes, such as early-life health indicators) and the ability to link them across generations. Moreover, for a meaningful comparison, economic outcomes must be observed at similar stages in life, requiring extensive longitudinal data. To date, reliable intergenerational mobility estimates based on administrative data exist for only a handful of countries—and Austria 🇦🇹 is not yet among them.
In the research project "Are the Alps a Land of Opportunity? Intergenerational Correlation Estimates from Austria," funded by the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB) through its Anniversary Fund, Martin Halla (PI), Wolfgang Frimmel, and Harald Oberhofer investigate several aspects of intergenerational mobility in 🇦🇹 Austria.
Austria has a comprehensive social security system and generous welfare benefits. However, there is limited systematic evidence on whether these public institutions effectively promote equity.
This research project leverages high-quality administrative data to address this gap. Our primary data source is the well-established JKU Data Center, complemented by additional analyses using data from the Austrian Micro Data Center (AMDC) hosted by Statistics Austria.
By examining these rich datasets, our research aims to provide a detailed understanding of how economic and health outcomes are transmitted across generations.