Income inequality and social mobility in 100 years of German industrial history- A case study of workers and employees of the Maschine Factory Esslingen (Maschinenfabrik Esslingen)

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Sibylle Lehmann-Hasemeyer, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Economic and Social History
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 467358403

There is a large social and academic interest in income inequality and social mobility and its determinants. The empirical research of income inequality is largely based on aggregated macro data, studies on intergenerational social mobility on microdata. Studies on social mobility in a longer-run perspective are scarce, because a profound analysis requires very detailed individual data such as the year of birth, gender, educational qualifications and wages not only for the person him/herself, but also for the father and ideally other family members. Data like this is often incomplete, available only for short periods or small samples.This research project is based on all personnel files of the Machine Factory Esslingen (Maschinenfabrik Esslingen), which were created in the period from the establishment of the company in 1846 to its dissolution in 1965. In total there are about 10.000 files. This unique source can be used to study income inequality, living standards, working conditions and the social mobility of employees from workers to CEOs for a period over 100 years. In addition, it is possible to explore the macroeconomic perspective on the long-term development of income inequality and and the microeconomic analysis of the social mobility of individuals using one single case study.In addition, this previously untapped source contains unique personal information that is not accessible in modern sources because of privacy restrictions. In addition to information on marital status, gender, year of birth, etc., this includes further information on personal and /or family relationships within a career network, personal references and assessments of the work performance of previous employers and superiors as well as party and religious memberships. Based on this information, we will investigate whether and how formal and informal social networks influence social mobility and whether this relationship is tied to a certain institutional framework.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants