Social mobility has long been one of the central topics of sociology. It has been the subject
of major theoretical contributions from the earliest generations of scholars as well as being
of persistent political interest and concern. Social mobility is frequently used as a key
measure of fairness and social justice given the central role that modern liberal democracies
give to equality of opportunity. More pragmatically policymakers often consider it a force for
economic growth and social integration. However discussions of social mobility have
increasingly become dominated by advanced statistical techniques impenetrable to all but
specialists in quantitative methods. In this concise and lucid book Anthony Heath and Yaojun
Li cut through the technical literature to provide an eye-opening account of the ideas debates
and realities that surround this important social phenomenon. Their book illuminates the major
patterns and trends in rates of social mobility and their drivers in contemporary western and
emerging societies ultimately enabling readers to understand and engage with this perennially
relevant social issue.
