Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Rapid economic development has drastically shifted the opportunities available to young people in developing countries in comparison to their parents. Despite rapid growth, recent work suggests disadvantaged young people still only rarely reach top economic positions in developing countries. Yet some young people have succeeded, against the odds. How do some individuals successfully secure prestigious career paths, while similar others fail?

This analysis uses longitudinal panel data to explore individual trajectories from childhood to adulthood, through school and work, with particular focus on individuals who move from the bottom to the top of the status distribution. The paper also explores the multi-dimensional nature of status in developing countries, using education, occupation, income and household consumption. Primary analyses focus on early adults in three agrarian nations in economic transition: Indonesia (IFLS) with extensions to India (IHDS), and South Africa (NIDS).

This paper makes two contributions First, I help build the empirical base for social mobility in developing countries. Observing how upward social mobility occurs even in unlikely circumstances can help prioritize policy investments, expanding opportunity for a greater number of disadvantaged young people. Secondly, I explore how well traditional measures of social mobility perform in a developing country context, using the unusually detailed and long time series provided by the Indonesia Family Life Survey. Preliminary analysis suggests that relationships between education, occupation, and economic measures are not easily reduced to one measure, and highlight the complex livelihoods often present in developing contexts.