Organisé par l’Unité « Droits de l’enfant », en collaboration avec le Service Marchois d’Aide aux Justiciables (SMAJ), ce colloque réunira professeurs, chercheurs, magistrats, avocats, cliniciens et praticiens autour d’un enjeu majeur : mieux identifier, comprendre et traiter les violences intraf

On June 12, 2026 at 2pm in Louvain-la-Neuve (exact location TBC) Raj Chetty will give a presentation on:
 

The Social Origins of Economic Opportunity: Theory and Evidence

 

 

 

Presentation: 

On June 12, 2026 at 2pm in Louvain-la-Neuve (exact location TBC) Raj Chetty will give a presentation on:
 

The Social Origins of Economic Opportunity: Theory and Evidence

Children from low-income families often have poor economic opportunities -- a fact that underlies many social and political challenges today. Canonical economic theories of income dynamics emphasize liquidity constraints in investing in human capital as the key factor that hinders upward income mobility across generations.  This talk will first present a summary of recent empirical evidence showing that social connections shape both individuals’ long-term outcomes and the peer groups people join (such as neighborhoods or schools), thereby influencing the formation of social capital itself. It will then present a new equilibrium theory of income dynamics across generations in which social capital influences both the choice of peer groups and individuals' outcomes.  The model explains several features of aggregate trends in economic inequality and mobility that are challenging to explain with existing theories. The talk will conclude by characterizing the impacts of policy interventions to promote economic mobility. The model predicts that redistributive financial transfers and loans for human capital investment have little impact on economic mobility in equilibrium. Policies that promote social integration (e.g., social support for moving to mixed-income neighborhoods) and place-based investments that increase employment among adults in low-income neighborhoods (e.g., targeted job training programs) have greater promise for expanding economic opportunity.

On June 18, the Earth and Life Institute is pleased to welcome Dr. Carolina Milhorance for a new ELI-Sustainability Talk. 

Abstract

TBA

The guest

Dr. Carolina Milhorance is a Political Science Researcher at the Center for International Development and Agricultural Research (CIRAD), Environment and Societies Department (ES, Art-Dev Research Unit), and the University of Montpellier. 

Carolina Milhorance has participated in several research and consultancy projects in Latin America, Southern and West Africa. Building on political sociology, network analysis, and extensive field research, her work focuses on topics such as climate policy, environmental governance and conflicts, food and nutritional security, south-south cooperation, international organizations and soft norms, policy transfer and diffusion, and cross-sectoral policy challenges. 

She is the author of the book « New Geographies of Global Policy-Making: South-South Networks and Rural Development Strategies », Routledge.

Practical

This seminar will be held on June 18 from 14:30 to 15:30 in Ocean room (de Serres building, Place Croix du Sud 2, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium).

Registration for the talk is appreciated but not required. The registration form will soon be available.

The seminar is free and open to everyone.

The seminar can also be attended online. Follow online here: TEAMS link.