What Do We Know and What Should We Do About Social Mobility?

The authors are two well-known British experts on the economics of social mobility. In this short, but comprehensive, survey, they illuminate the relatively poor UK record on mobility and what might be done to improve it. The evidence is rigorously marshalled and the complexities (and political difficulty) of solutions equally clearly illuminated. A definitive study. -- Martin Wolf
An assured and detailed book bringing together the latest research, wide-ranging recommendations for practice and authoritative critiques of conventional wisdom. It’s a solid grounder for those new to the topic and has plenty of fresh perspective for readers who know the field well. -- Sam Baars
Written by two of the leading authors on social mobility in the U.K., this book is an excellent and accessible entry point into a large and complex academic literature. It covers enormous ground, from technical issues about how to measure social mobility, to reasons for the historical trends in U.K. post war social mobility. It also puts the U.K. in an international context and suggests concrete policy solutions for the future. A must read for policymakers! Written in an engaging way, I can see it will become a primer on social mobility for years to come. -- Anna Vignoles, Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge