Argentina Exceptionalism: Social Mobility and the Reversal of Development in Argentina

Abstract The effects of education on social mobility are studied in Argentina, a country that has undergone unprecedented economic and political upheaval. Among the richest in the world at the beginning of the 20th century, it was ranked 60th by per capita GDP at the century’s end; a phenomenon known as “the Argentine Paradox”. The interrelationships between class origin, education, and class destination are all explored. Regarding educational inequalities and returns on education, no fluctuations towards a particular direction were identified, although returns on education changed according to social classes. We found, contrary to “popular wisdom”, that as access to education increased, social fluidity fell. Neither educational expansion nor educational inequalities contributed to social fluidity, and we added the possibility of a growing association between origin-destination, as educational levels improved.