How much of our fate is tied to the status of our parents and grandparents? How much does it
influence our children? More than we wish to believe. While it has been argued that rigid class
structures have eroded in favor of greater social equality The Son Also Rises proves that
movement on the social ladder has changed little over eight centuries. Using a novel
technique--tracking family names over generations to measure social mobility across countries
and periods--renowned economic historian Gregory Clark reveals that mobility rates are lower
than conventionally estimated do not vary across societies and are resistant to social
policies
