Inequality and intergenerational mobility: a vicious circle?

One of the most negative consequences that economic inequality can have is to curb intergenerational mobility, that is, to make the fate of individuals more dependent on the economic conditions of the family of origin. In this work, based on empirical evidence, it is argued that in our age inequality affects intergenerational mobility through multiple channels, not just the human capital to which reference is more often made in literature. Furthermore, we highlight some reasons why, depending also on these mechanisms, it is possible that a vicious circle is established between inequality and intergenerational immobility.