The Importance of the Family in Cohabitation

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CNN's John Sutter tries to explain the difference between a one-parent family and cohabitation. He says in Denmark, where he grew up, poor children are better off because they get more help from the welfare state when they're growing up. The Danish government is very proud of its policy that takes money away from rich families while giving it to those who came from poorer ones as their parents. "There's no question if I were to this state what government policy is and what many dains would agree to," said Sutter.

Economist and Nobel Laureate James Heckman of the University of Chicago talks about inequality and economic mobility with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Drawing on research on inequality in Denmark with Rasmus Landerso, Heckman argues that despite the efforts of the Danish welfare state to provide equal access to education, there is little difference in economic mobility between the United States and Denmark. The conversation includes a general discussion of economic mobility in the United States along with a critique of Chetty and others' work on the power of neighborhood to determine one's economic destiny.