This Handbook is motivated by a core question in Social Science: to what extent does your family background and childhood experiences predict your success in life? As we shall see, the measures of ‘success’ that are used vary somewhat across disciplines, as does the specific way that the closeness of the relationship is measured. Nevertheless, the central question that drives work in this area is agreed upon. In addition, social scientists of all hues are keen to understand the mechanisms that drive intergenerational inequality, often with an eye to designing policy that will weaken intergenerational transmissions. The twin aims of estimating associations and understanding drivers has led to a rich and evolving research agenda, predominantly in Economics and Sociology, that we review in this Handbook. The intention of this introductory chapter is to demonstrate how the topics considered in the chapters of this Handbook fit within the development of this multi-faceted and multidisciplinary literature. We set the scene for what follows by outlining the similarities, differences and future challenges facing the approaches taken by economists and sociologists.