Is Inequality of Opportunity Robust to the Measurement Approach?

Recent literature has suggested many ways of measuring equality of opportunity. We analyze in a systematic manner the various approaches put forth in the literature to show whether and to what extent different choices matter empirically. Drawing on data for most European countries for 2005 and 2011, we find that the choice between ex-ante and ex-post approaches is crucial and has a substantial influence on inequality of opportunity country orderings. Growth regressions also illustrate the potential relevance of conceptual choices.