Discuss The Idea Of American Exceptionalism

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Economics history
1. Discuss the idea of American exceptionalism in the context of occupational and geographic mobility.
Ferrie looks an American nationalism as an issue of social mobility rooted in American history. The belief that people are not held down by aristocracy and that people can thrive anywhere means that Americans are not held back by communal affiliations. As such, American citizens expect occupational mobility where they can seamlessly move to other jobs when there is high demand. Similarly, Americans move a lot across geographical boundaries seeking better jobs. In the past Americans were more likely to move in the social hierarchy, compared to move the more rigid European societies. There is constant change and economic activities that people are most willing to move and this has been associated with high degree of social mobility in the country (Ferrie 200).
2. Explain the distinction between absolute and relative mobility between occupations
Absolute mobility represents intergenerational mobility based on increased income levels when compared to where one started. If a person’s income has increased after adjusting for inflation over time, then there is absolute mobility when they move from one category to the next. Relative mobility refers to the changes in mobility when they are compared to other people. When a person’s experiences an upward absolute mobility, but other people have experienced higher mobility then the individual’s relative mobility is lower.
3. Define the concept of an odds ratio. Calculate the odds ratios for the third and fourth rows and columns of panels A and B in Table 1.
Odds ratio is a measure to determine the association of property A to property B, where both properties are linked to determine the presence of A. in this case there are two categories skilled/ semi skilled and unskilled properties
Panel A
Skilled/ semiskilledUnskilled46.935.415.629.5
Odds ratio =46.9*29.5/ (35.4*15.6) =2.51
Panel B
Skilled/ semiskilledUnskilled46.650.59.313.3
Odds ratio =46.6*13.3/9.3*50.5=1.32
4. Explain whether the answer to the previous question strengthens or weakens the claim that intergenerational occupational mobility in the United States decreased between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Higher odds ratio indicate that there is a link between the origin and destination, and in the first table the odds ratio was 2.51 compared to 1.32. The advantage of sons of unskilled fathers getting into the skilled and semi-skilled jobs decreased from the nineteenth century to the twentieth century as represented by the lower odds ratio (probability ratio). The answer that the odds ratio in the twentieth century was lower that the 19th century highlights that intergenerational mobility had decreased.
5. Describe the concept of an Altham statistic. How does the Altham statistic change in the United States from the nineteenth to the twentieth centuries?
The Altham statistic has previously been used to determine the link between the occupations of fathers and their sons. The Altham statistic differences in mobility to determine occupational persistence across generations at differen...