Gregory Clark finds more social mobility in England in mediaval times than in modern times.
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Gregory Clark's novel research using the distribution of surnames finds that, surprisingly, there was actually more social mobility in England in medieval times than in modern times. This research has made its way into the press, with recent story's including "If you're named Darcy you're likely to be one of the priveleged rich" in The Guardian; "Mr.Darcy and other posh names 'more likely to be rich even today' in the U.K. newspaper Metro; and "Social mobility no easier in England's modern meritocracy than in medieval oligarchy" in the Times Higher Education supplement. A draft paper on Gregory’s research is available at his website.
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