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Social Mobility as Slow Today as It Was in Medieval Europe

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 (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

“Social status is more strongly inherited even than height,” writes economic historian Gregory Clark. Clark examined centuries of data on prosperity across families and found that social mobility is at best slow, even in the United States. We’ll talk with Clark about his findings, hear why he thinks the American Dream doesn’t exist and get his thoughts on promoting equality.

Guests:

Gregory Clark, professor of economics at UC Davis and author of "The Son Also Rises: Surnames and the History of Social Mobility"

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