Does Intergenerational Transfer within Families Increase Inequality between Families?

Sawako Shirahase, The University of Tokyo

My paper principally examines the relationship between social and private intergenerational transfers in Japan. I will discuss how intergenerational transfer within families takes place, and whether this process contributes to expanding inequality between families. I focus on three kinds of private intergenerational transfer: co-residency, remittance, and asset inheritance. In particular, I intensively discuss different directions of transfer, both from parents to children, and from children to parents. The aim of my research is to identify similarities in determinants of all three types of intergenerational transfer, and in both directions. In conclusion, I explore whether the relationship with macro-level intergenerational imbalance is consistent with the one at the micro-level. I will analyze data from two sources: the Comprehensive Survey of People’s Living Conditions (CSLCJ), conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and the 2010 Panel Survey of Living Conditions among Middle-age and Elderly People (PSMEP).