Achieving Escape Velocity: Neighborhood and School Interventions to Reduce Persistent Inequality

Citation:

Fryer RG, Katz LF. Achieving Escape Velocity: Neighborhood and School Interventions to Reduce Persistent Inequality. American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings . 2013;103 (3) :232-37.
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Abstract:

This paper reviews the evidence on the efficacy of neighborhood and school interventions in improving the long-run outcomes of children growing up in poor families, focusing on studies exploiting exogenous sources of variation in neighborhoods and schools and that examine at least medium-term outcomes. Higher-quality neighborhoods improve family safety, adult subjective well-being and health, and girls’ mental health, but have no detectable impact on youth human capital, labor market outcomes, or risky behaviors. In contrast, higher-quality schools can improve children’s academic achievement and can have longer-term positive impacts of increasing educational attainment and earnings and reducing incarceration and teen pregnancy.

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Last updated on 09/16/2013