Desvinculado y Desigual: Is Segregation Harmful to Latinos?

Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 660, No. 1, July 2015

NYU Wagner Research Paper No. 2568620

20 Pages Posted: 10 Jul 2015 Last revised: 21 Oct 2020

See all articles by Justin Peter Steil

Justin Peter Steil

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Jorge De la Roca

Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy

Ingrid Gould Ellen

New York University (NYU) - Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service

Date Written: July 10, 2015

Abstract

Despite the high levels of metropolitan-area segregation that Latinos experience, there is a lack of research examining the effects of segregation on Latino socioeconomic outcomes and whether those effects differ from the negative effects documented for African Americans. We find that segregation is consistently associated with lower levels of educational attainment and labor market success for both African American and Latino young adults compared with whites, with associations of similar magnitudes for both groups. One mechanism through which segregation may influence outcomes is the difference in the levels of neighborhood human capital to which whites, Latinos, and African Americans are exposed. We find that higher levels of segregation are associated with lower black and Latino neighborhood exposure to residents with college degrees, relative to whites. We also find support for other commonly discussed mechanisms, such as exposure to neighborhood violent crime and the relative proficiency of the closest public school.

Suggested Citation

Steil, Justin Peter and De la Roca, Jorge and Ellen, Ingrid Gould, Desvinculado y Desigual: Is Segregation Harmful to Latinos? (July 10, 2015). Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 660, No. 1, July 2015, NYU Wagner Research Paper No. 2568620, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2568620

Justin Peter Steil

Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( email )

Cambridge, MA 02139
United States

Jorge De la Roca

Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy ( email )

139 MacDougal St, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012
United States
+1.212.998.6384 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://jorgedelaroca.name

Ingrid Gould Ellen (Contact Author)

New York University (NYU) - Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service ( email )

The Puck Building
295 Lafayette Street, Second Floor
New York, NY 10012
United States

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