Look Who it Was Random video

Policies to Improve Upward Mobility

2,713 views · Published 27 October 2016 · 1:28:36 · Indexed 1 November 2026

Channel: LSE · 2016 · Education

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Date: Tuesday 25 October 2016
Time:  6.30-8pm
Venue: Old Theatre, Old Building
Speaker:  Professor Raj Chetty
Chair:  Professor Robin Burgess

Professor Raj Chetty will give three lectures over three consecutive days in the 2016 Lionel Robbins Memorial Lecture series under the overarching theme of "Improving Equality of Opportunity: new lessons from big data" asking the question "How Can We Improve Economic Opportunities for Low-Income Children?" Raj Chetty will discuss findings from the Equality of Opportunity Project, which uses big data to develop new answers to this important and timely policy question. The presentation will show how children's opportunities to climb the income ladder vary substantially depending upon where they grow up.  It will then identify factors that contribute to this geographic variation in opportunities for upward mobility. The talks will conclude by offering policy lessons for how social mobility and economic opportunity can be increased in the next generation.

Raj Chetty is a Professor of Economics at Stanford University. His research combines empirical evidence and economic theory to help design more effective government policies. His work on tax policy, unemployment insurance, and education has been widely cited in media outlets and Congressional testimony. 

Robin Burgess is Professor of Economics at LSE and Director of the International Growth Centre.

The CEP (@CEP_LSE) is an interdisciplinary research centre at the LSE Research Laboratory. It was established by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in 1990 and is now one of the leading economic research groups in Europe.

The two other lectures that are part of this series are Monday 24 and Wednesday 26 October.

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