Long-Term Neighborhood Effects on Low-Income Families: Evidence from Moving to Opportunity

Citation:

Ludwig J, Duncan GJ, Gennetian LA, Katz LF, Kessler RC, Kling JR, Sanbonmatsu L. Long-Term Neighborhood Effects on Low-Income Families: Evidence from Moving to Opportunity. American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings . 2013;103 (3) :226-31.

Abstract:

We examine long-term neighborhood effects on low-income families using data from the Moving to Opportunity (MTO) randomized housing-mobility experiment, which offered some public-housing families but not others the chance to move to less-disadvantaged neighborhoods.  We show that 10-15 years after baseline, MTO improves adult physical and mental health, has no detectable effect on economic outcomes or youth schooling or physical health, and mixed results by gender on other youth outcomes, with girls doing better on some measures and boys doing worse. Despite the somewhat mixed pattern of impacts on traditional behavioral outcomes, MTO moves substantially improve adult subjective well-being.

Notes:

Data Files

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Last updated on 12/31/2015