Infosys Prize Lecture on Improving Equality of Opportunity: New Insights from Big Data

New Delhi: The Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) is organizing a virtual public lecture by Prof. Raj Chetty, William A. Ackman Professor of Economics, Harvard University and Director of Opportunity Insights, USA.

TOPIC: Improving Equality of Opportunity: New Insights from Big Data

Does where you go to school in the third grade determine where you will be at 30? Does your environment have a significant effect on your chances of success in later life? These are just some questions that economist Raj Chetty and his team at Opportunity Insights are exploring. According to the data they’ve gathered, over the past half century in America, children’s chances of earning more than their parents have fallen from 90% to 50%. While the talk will draw on evidence from the US, Raj will discuss how similar work is being done in India. The talk will also show how children’s chances of climbing the income ladder vary across neighborhoods, analyze the sources of racial disparities in intergenerational mobility, and discuss the role of higher education in creating greater income mobility. Raj will draw from insights that have come from mapping big data around these crucial questions. The talk will conclude by discussing the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on these issues.