Multidimensional Social Mobility and Pathways to Upward Mobility in Austria

Research on intergenerational social mobility examines how parental background influences opportunities and outcomes throughout life. Despite existing studies on income inequality in Austria, there's a lack of comprehensive evidence on intergenerational social mobility (ISM) and its underlying causes. The MOBILITY-PATH project aims to fill this gap by first collecting data to provide new insights into the extent and variation of ISM along several dimensions. It then seeks to understand the mechanisms behind ISM by investigating the life-cycle outcomes of children based on their parents' background, exploring the role of early childhood factors, vocational training systems, labour market conditions and tertiary education institutions in shaping mobility. Using a combination of individual-level administrative and register datasets available through the Austrian Micro Data Center (AMDC), MOBILITY-PATH proposes tailor-made research designs to uncover causal mechanisms behind ISM in Austria and to contribute to open questions in ISM research. In addition, the project aims to provide groundbreaking evidence on ISM in education, occupation, earnings, individual and family income at both the national and district levels. The resulting dataset will be made available through an interactive website, the Social Mobility Atlas Austria. It will also investigate the causal effects of neighbourhoods and schools on ISM, examine the impact of vocational training in response to economic conditions, and assess the role of attending and graduating from universities of applied sciences (UAS) in promoting upward mobility in education and income.