The Long Run Impact of Childhood Interracial Contact on Residential Segregation

Luca Merlino, Max Steinhardt () and Liam Wren-Lewis

No 15538, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper exploits quasi-random variation in the share of Black students across cohorts within US schools to investigate whether interracial contact in childhood impacts the residential choices of Whites in adulthood. We find that, 20 years after exposure, Whites who had more Black peers of the same gender in their grade go on to live in census tracts with more Black residents. Further investigation suggests that this result is unlikely to be driven by economic opportunities or social networks. Instead, the effect on residential choice appears to come from a change in preferences among Whites.

Keywords: residential segregation; social contact; race (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I29 J15 R23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 49 pages
Date: 2022-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lab and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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https://docs.iza.org/dp15538.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: The long run impact of childhood interracial contact on residential segregation (2022)
Working Paper: The long run impact of childhood interracial contact on residential segregation (2022)
Working Paper: The long run impact of childhood interracial contact on residential segregation (2022)
Working Paper: The long run impact of childhood interracial contact on residential segregation (2022)
Working Paper: The Long Run Impact of Childhood Interracial Contact on Residential Segregation (2022)
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