Extensive research within economics has shown that parental time and resources, schools, neighborhoods and public policies can have lasting effects on people’s education and economic success. Less is known about the role of inherited traits—or “nature”—in shaping these outcomes, and especially about how inherited traits and environments interact.

Another part of the project takes a long historical perspective. Drawing on rich historical and modern data from Iceland, the research will study families and economic outcomes across many generations. This makes it possible to examine how economic development and social transformation affect the persistence of advantage and opportunities for upward mobility.