Intergenerational Networks, Unemployment, and Persistent Inequality in South Africa
- (pp. 62-85)
Abstract
This paper examines the importance of network-based intergenerational correlations in South Africa. I use longitudinal data on young South Africans to examine the covariance of children's employment with the usefulness of parents in their job search. I find that fathers serve as useful network connections to their sons (not daughters), and that mothers do not seem to be useful network connections. The father-son effect is robust to alternate explanations of specific human capital and correlated networks. The size of this effect is large. Present fathers' utility as network connections may be responsible for a one-third increase in their sons' employment rates. (JEL D31, J12, J13, J24, J62, O15, Z13)Citation
Magruder, Jeremy R. 2010. "Intergenerational Networks, Unemployment, and Persistent Inequality in South Africa." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2 (1): 62-85. DOI: 10.1257/app.2.1.62Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D31 Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions
- J12 Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse
- J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
- J24 Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
- J62 Job, Occupational, and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion
- O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
- Z13 Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Social and Economic Stratification
There are no comments for this article.
Login to Comment