School tracking and intergenerational income mobility: Evidence from the Finnish comprehensive school reform
Pekkarinen T, Uusitalo R, Kerr S · 2009
grade Bnatural-experimentindependentreplicated
Sample
Finnish cohorts spanning the 1972-1977 regional rollout of the comprehensive-school reform
Population
Finnish sons linked to fathers' income records.
Design
The Finnish comprehensive-school reform delayed tracking from age 10-11 to age 16 and was rolled out region by region from north to south over 1972-1977, giving cohort-by-region variation in exposure.
Key findings
Delaying tracking from ~age 10 to age 16 cut the father-son income elasticity by about a quarter. Early selection was doing real work transmitting family advantage.
Genetic confound
Regional rollout timing is exogenous. Note the lens caveat: intergenerational income elasticity is itself partly genetic transmission, so a 23% reduction bounds the environmental component of early selection rather than measuring 'mobility' cleanly.
Replication notes
Same direction as the Swedish and French reforms.
Effects
| Outcome | Metric | Value | Measure | Timing | Vs | Horizon | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intergenerational income elasticity (father-son) | elasticity | fell by about 23% after the reform (~0.30 to ~0.23) | standardized | long-run (adult income) | business-as-usual | adulthood | attainment |
Cited by
- Ability grouping and tracking — four practices, four verdictsmoderate supportconf: highgc: low