Raj Chetty is a Harvard economist and a pioneer of inequality research. He has shown that the chances of Americans being better off than their parents have slowed in recent decades, and that the neighbourhood where children grow up has an outsized impact on their life chances.
Chetty pioneered research into the impact of relationships on economic mobility, showing that interacting with wealthier families can boost poor children's prospects by offering better opportunities and role models. His work on the HOPE VI public-housing programme found that children who grew up from birth in revitalised mixed-income public housing went on to earn about 50% more, largely because of interactions with wealthier neighbours. Those who moved into HOPE VI developments earned 16% more at the age of 30, were 17% more likely to attend college and, among boys, were 20% less likely to go to jail or prison.
It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous.