中文摘要
代际收入流动性文献采用了多种多样的测度指标，但对于这些指标是否提供相似的信息、得出相似的结论，目前所知有限。我们构建了一个框架，以突显不同估计量的核心概念与性质，随后说明这些测度指标在实证上如何相互关联。我们的主要分析使用澳大利亚所得税数据，在全国和地区两个层面，为19种不同的流动性测度指标分别给出一套全面的实证估计。我们还使用其他数据补充这一分析，这些数据利用了流动性测度指标的国内或国家间差异。一个关键发现是，无论在概念上还是实证上，相对流动性测度与绝对流动性测度之间都存在明确区别：一个地区的绝对流动性可能较高，但相对流动性可能较低。然而，在各个宽泛类别内部，不同流动性测度指标往往高度相关。对于基于排名的估计量，我们强调，用于计算排名的分布如何选取至关重要，这一选择既可能在决定该估计量的性质方面发挥关键作用，也可能影响实证结果。这些结果模式对政策制定者具有重要意义，因为按照某些流动性指标衡量，其所在地方经济的表现可能较好，但按照其他指标衡量则未必如此。
Abstract
The literature on intergenerational income mobility uses a diverse set of measures and there is limited knowledge about whether these measures provide similar information and yield similar conclusions. We provide a framework to highlight the key concepts and properties of the different estimators. We then show how these measures relate to one another empirically. Our main analysis uses income tax data from Australia to produce a comprehensive set of empirical estimates for each of 19 different mobility measures at both the national and regional levels. We supplement this analysis with other data that uses either within- or between-country variation in mobility measures. A key finding is that there is a clear distinction between relative and absolute measures both conceptually and empirically. A region may be high with respect to absolute mobility but could be low with respect to relative mobility. However, within broad categories, the different mobility measures tend to be highly correlated. For rank-based estimators, we highlight the importance of how the choice of the distribution used for calculating ranks can play a critical role in determining its properties as well as affect empirical findings. These patterns of results are important for policymakers whose local economy might fare well according to some mobility indicators but not others. (JEL D31, H24, I32, J62)