Intergenerational Economic Mobility among Immigrants’ Children: A Systematic Review and Exploratory Cross-National Synthesis

Abstract This paper presents the first systematic meta-analysis linking immigration policy architecture to the intergenerational economic mobility of immigrants' children. Drawing on 51 observations from 31 studies across 12 countries (1960–2020), we employ weighted least squares meta-regression with inverse-variance weights and cluster-robust (CR2) standard errors to estimate how three policy dimensions, immigrant selection, statutory stabilization, and establishment (settlement) programs, shape intergenerational income elasticities. We find that establishment policies robustly reduce intergenerational persistence by 0.258 points (p = 0.003), indicating substantially higher mobility. Immigrant children exhibit lower persistence (γ = 0.259) than the general population (0.328), consistent with an "immigrant advantage." National income inequality, measured by the Gini coefficient, is positively associated with persistence, extending the Great Gatsby Curve to immigrant populations. Our findings suggest that settlement and integration programs are the most effective policy lever for enhancing intergenerational mobility. JEL Codes: J15, J62, J68, I24