Spatial Mismatch: From the Hypothesis to the Theories

Laurent Gobillon, Harris Selod () and Yves Zenou

No 693, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Since the 1950s, there has been a steady decentralization of entry-level jobs towards the suburbs of American cities, while racial minorities —and particularly blacks— have remained in city centers. In this context, the spatial mismatch hypothesis argues that because the residential locations of minorities are disconnected from suburban job opportunities, lowskilled minorities residing in inner cities face adverse labor market outcomes. However, the reason why distance to jobs may be harmful to minorities has long remained unclear while the abundant but essentially empirical literature on spatial mismatch has led to much controversy. The present work presents the main stylized facts associated with spatial mismatch and reviews the main theoretical models that started to emerge in the late 1990s.

Keywords: urban unemployment; ghettos; segregation; discrimination (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J15 J41 R14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 43 pages
Date: 2003-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-geo, nep-pke and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

Published - published as 'The Mechanisms of Spatial Mismatch ' in: Urban Studies, 2007, 44 (12), 2401-2427

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Related works:
Working Paper: Spatial Mismatch: From the Hypothesis to the Theories (2003)
Working Paper: Spatial Mismatch: From the Hypothesis of the Theories (2002)
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