Interdisciplinary Seminar in Empirical Social Science

12 01 2026

Dear All,

We are pleased to invite you to the first Interdisciplinary Seminar in Empirical Social Science (ISESS) in 2026, organized by the Centre of Excellence in Social Sciences at the University of Warsaw.

The seminar will be led by Marcin Wroński and Maria Minakowska from  Collegium of World Economy SGH Warsaw School of Economics.

The title of the presentation is:

Intergenerational Mobility over Nine Generations: Evidence from Poland, 1800-1984

Date: Wednesday, January 14
Time: 13:15
Venue:  Commission Room [Sala Komisji] in the Kazimierzowski Palace (Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28). The room is located on the third floor, lift is available in the building. 

About the talk:

This paper examines how elite status persists across major institutional disruptions in Poland, from partitions to socialism. Using a unique dataset linking 18,800 elite biographies with over 1.2 million genealogical records, it measures kinship up to the sixth degree to capture both inheritance and transmission of status. Results show that elite persistence is largely carried by distant relatives and maternal lines, with first-degree ties accounting for only 20% of connections. Persistence remains high through the 19th and early 20th centuries, declining gradually during the socialist era, highlighting that mobility increases slowly rather than resetting after major shocks. The study reframes elite reproduction as a network of extended family relations, challenging conventional two-generation approaches and offering a long-run perspective on social mobility.   

Presentation details and abstract are available here:

ISESS Seminar Website

Seminar announcement

The seminar will be conducted in English, held in person only, and no registration is required.

We warmly encourage your participation and look forward to seeing you there!