While studying history in North and South America, I noticed that a recurring problem in the countries was that of the difficulty of social mobility. Has a consensus been reached as to what the main cause for a lack of social mobility? I can't say for certain, but though it's likely that each country in the Americas has different reasons for a lack of social mobility, is there a single, glaring reason?
I would say that the most obvious answer to me is pretty general and may not be satisfactory.
It is the general tendency of those with the greatest amount of power, whatever form it takes, to try to secure and increase that power. Because a greater amount of power increases ones ability to achieve these ends, there is a tendency in societies for that power to be conserved, in the absence of external factors such as strong social or state institutions that limit this tendency, within certain lineages or patrimonial institutions.
hi! it might be worth x-posting this question to /r/AskSocialScience for their take