Will Moving to a Better Neighborhood Help?

The paper answers the question “would it help teenagers to move to relatively more affluent neighborhoods, as theories of neighborhood effects anticipate?” The paper is based on using data from the National Educational... [ view full abstract ]

The paper answers the question “would it help teenagers to move to relatively more affluent neighborhoods, as theories of neighborhood effects anticipate?” The paper is based on using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Survey and the 1990 Census to estimate models using propensity score methods. Findings suggest the effects of upward moves on high school completion were more positive for Latinos than whites. In addition, the positive effects of moving to a much more affluent neighborhood (a median income of at least $7,000 greater than the original neighborhood) on the likelihood of entering college by age 26 are higher for Latinos than whites.