Is inequality inevitable?
A new study suggests it's impossible to eradicate — even over hundreds of years


This might be the most depressing finding in social science. A new study tried to assess intergenerational mobility by looking at last names and found the highest earners in Florence in 2011 were the descendants of the highest earners in the year 1427, nearly 600 years earlier. Social mobility, or the lack thereof, persisted "despite the huge political, demographic, and economic upheavals that occurred between the two dates."
Lest you think this problem is quarantined to Italy, let me assure you: It is not. There have been similar findings across various countries that possess vastly different cultures, histories, and political and economic systems, including Sweden, England, the U.S., and even China, in spite of the Maoist revolution.
Those of us in the modern democratic West tend to think intergenerational mobility is desirable and achievable. Sure, social stratification exists, but, we think, with just the right policy tweaks, we can ensure every child at the bottom rung has a shot at joining, if not the 1 percent, then at least the 10 percent.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But what if social mobility on a large scale simply isn't possible? If Chairman Mao, who sent his country's entire elite to death camps and labor camps, couldn't shuffle the deck, do you really think Bernie Sanders will?
Regardless of circumstances, people with the money will always have the power to pass on their privilege, whether that power takes the form of actual political power, or money, or status, or social capital and social networks, or human capital.
In this matter, the importance of family ties can't really be overstated. Staunchly progressive parents will do anything to ensure their kids go to the right schools and have every advantage they can, even at the expense of the less privileged. And why shouldn't they? Trying to help your progeny succeed is just about the most powerful instinct there is, wired into our genes over millennia of evolution. If you add to that the finding that cognitive ability is heritable, you get a picture of why aristocracy is here to stay, probably forever.
So what does this mean, and what can we do about it?
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Well, it might pose a problem for conservatives who typically oppose redistributive programs, pointing to equality of opportunity, but not equality of outcome. But it turns out equality of opportunity is a sham. When the left says the deck is stacked against the little guy, well, they're right.
But it might be an even bigger problem for liberals. Indeed, their entire raison d'être could be based on a sham. The left wants social equality and mobility, but it might turn out these things aren't just hard to achieve, but completely impossible. Sanders and his supporters believe it's a huge deal whether he or Hillary Clinton gets the nomination, but whatever Sanders does won't really influence social mobility. The choice between these two candidates is like choosing between a spitball or a BB gun to attack a Panzer division.
Forget about our insane left vs. right battles for a second and realize this is a problem for democracy itself. As Alexis de Tocqueville pointed out, the real appeal of democracy is not liberty but equality. Democracy appeals to us because we want to be equal with our neighbors. Well, judging by these findings, that ain't happening.
It's almost enough to make you buy the Marxist critique that democracy is a lie designed to exploit the proletariat more easily by making them believe they have a voice.
After all, if social stratification is simply impossible to change, we should probably just accept it. That would mean to accept an aristocracy, and even a bloodline-based aristocracy. But you know what? That's just too much to contemplate.
Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.
-
October 19 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's editorial cartoons include Pete Hegseth and the press, an absence of government, and George Washington crossing the Delaware
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelago
The Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
-
AI: is the bubble about to burst?
In the Spotlight Stock market ever-more reliant on tech stocks whose value relies on assumptions of continued growth and easy financing
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime minister
In the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of Taiwan
In the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdown
IN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago