The Intergenerational Mobility of Income: A Study Applied to the Spanish Case (2005–2011)

Intergenerational income mobility has attracted the interest of many economists for—among other reasons—its role as a mechanism for reducing inequalities and achieving equal opportunities. In this paper, we analyse the intergenerational mobility of income in Spain in the years 2005 and 2011, located at different phases of the economic cycle. We use proxy variables (the economic situation of the household during the adolescence of the informant and the educational level achieved by parents) to study intergenerational income mobility, because there are not extant surveys with income information from parents and their descendants when they are part of a different household. With these variables, we try to verify the existence and degree of mobility by analysing different methodologies. The results suggest the existence of mobility in the two studied years, although a trend towards a reduction in intergenerational mobility is confirmed, already detected by other authors.

Intrahousehold Bargaining Power in Spain: An Empirical Test of the Collective Model

This paper analyzes the intrahousehold bargaining power of spouses in Spanish families, in a collective framework. We estimate household labor supply equations and, under certain testable restrictions, we obtain a theoretically derived sharing rule for household income, which characterizes intrahousehold bargaining power. Then, using unique data on decision-making in the household, we construct Pareto weights, and study the validity of the collective model by comparing the theoretical sharing rule and the constructed Pareto weight. The results reveal that both the observed Pareto weight and the theoretical sharing rule display qualitative similarities, thus providing direct empirical support to the collective model. Furthermore, the results suggest that Spanish wives behave more altruistically, while husbands behave more egoistically. This should be taken into account by policy makers and researchers when analyzing inequality in the household, and contemplating specific policies affecting the household.

Self-Employment or Selfless Employment? Exploration of Factors that Motivate, Facilitate, and Constrain Latina Entrepreneurship from a Family Embeddedness Perspective

As the economic and social importance of Latina-owned businesses continues to grow, research is needed on the factors that motivate entrepreneurship among Latinas and that facilitate and constrain their success. This study draws on in-depth interviews and survey data to explore the experiences of Latina entrepreneurs in Idaho, USA, from an embeddedness perspective combining family embeddedness and intersectionality frameworks to illustrate how family and social positioning affects motivations, opportunities, and access to resources. We found Latinas were motivated to start businesses by a range of interacting factors, including centrally a strong sense of responsibility to their nuclear and families of origin. Prominent family motivations included the desire to provide opportunities for younger and older generations and the need for flexibility to manage family and work obligations. Compared to their middle-class peers, working-class Latina entrepreneurs were more likely to need flexibility because they could not afford third-party care for a family member, to experience greater barriers to accessing traditional financing and professional advice, and to be more dependent on family support for their success, although not all had family-based resources upon which they could rely. Latinas struggled to fulfill traditional family role expectations and obligations while assuming the expanded responsibilities of running a business. While a central tension in their lives, this struggle provides the impetus to renegotiate and update traditional gender and family expectations as they navigate role conflict and strain.

Does the Source of Inheritance Matter in Bequest Attitudes? Evidence from Japan

A better understanding of the reasons for bequests can be pivotal for fiscal policy and wealth inequality management, as the different motives underlying bequest behavior have varied implications. This study examines bloodline-based indirect reciprocity in bequest attitudes over three generations. In doing so, it extends the family tradition model to a bloodline-based family tradition model. This extended model suggests that the source of the inheritance impacts the amount of the bequest left to one’s children or spouse. To test the hypothesis, this study empirically analyzes survey data from the 2009 wave of the Preference Parameters Study for Japan. The results suggest that with some socioeconomic characteristics controlled for, those who have received an inheritance from their parents are more likely to intend to bequest as much as possible to their children, while Japanese females (males) who have received an inheritance from their spouse’s parents are more likely to intend to bequest as much as possible to both their children and their spouse (their spouse only). Hence, the source of the inheritance does matter in bequest attitudes, suggesting bloodline-based indirect reciprocity in bequest attitudes.