Freedom from the Tyranny of Neighbourhood: Rethinking Socio-Spatial Context Effects

Ana Petrović (), David Manley () and Maarten van Ham
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Ana Petrović: Delft University of Technology
David Manley: University of Bristol

No 11416, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Theory behind neighbourhood effects suggests that different geographies and scales affect individual outcomes. We argue that neighbourhood effects research needs to break away from the tyranny of neighbourhood and consider alternative ways to measure the wider socio-spatial context of people, placing individuals at the centre of the approach. We review theoretical and empirical approaches to place and space from a multitude of disciplines and the geographical scopes of neighbourhood effects mechanisms. Ultimately, we suggest ways in which micro-geographic data can be used to operationalise socio-spatial context for neighbourhood effects, where data pragmatism should be supplanted by a theory-driven data exploration.

Keywords: bespoke neighbourhoods; micro-geographic data; socio-spatial context; neighbourhood effects; spatial scale (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I30 J60 P46 R23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 22 pages
Date: 2018-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-geo and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published - published in: Progress in Human Geography, 2020, 44 (6), 1103 - 1123

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