Abstract
Abstract The spatial concentration of immigrants in disadvantaged neighbourhoods may hinder their opportunities for social and economic integration. It is therefore important that immigrants can translate their available economic resources into mobility to less disadvantaged neighbourhoods. This study adds to existing research on the relationship between socioeconomic and spatial integration by focusing on the effects of income mobility on residential mobility. We analyse intra-urban residential mobility from low-income neighbourhoods into non-low-income neighbourhoods among immigrants and native-born residents in three urban regions in Finland. We use longitudinal register data for the 2004–2014 period for the full population, allowing a dynamic analysis of changes in income and neighbourhood of residence. Based on fixed-effects multinomial logit modelling of residential outcomes, we found that upward income mobility is connected to exit from low-income areas, but the effect is stronger among the native-born Finns than among those with an immigrant background. This stronger effect for natives is in contrast to findings of previous European studies, suggesting that these might have been influenced by unobserved individual-level heterogeneity. Our findings imply that both policies improving labour market opportunities of immigrants and policies reducing constraints for spatial integration are needed if the aim is to decrease ethnic residential segregation.
Highlights
In recent years, ethnic segregation and integration of immigrants have become increasingly visible themes in political debates in Europe, and sociological literature has reflected this greater attention from different perspectives (e.g. Loch, 2014; Kogan, 2016; Muller, 2018)
Our findings imply that both policies improving labour market opportunities of immigrants and policies reducing constraints for spatial integration are needed if the aim is to decrease ethnic residential segregation
The increasing number of immigrants in European societies have brought the questions of ethnic segregation and economic integration to the fore of public policies both at national and local levels
Summary
Ethnic segregation and integration of immigrants have become increasingly visible themes in political debates in Europe, and sociological literature has reflected this greater attention from different perspectives (e.g. Loch, 2014; Kogan, 2016; Muller, 2018). We combine a traditional line of sociological research on income mobility with another one on the dynamics of residential segregation The latter is a well-established research theme in American sociology (e.g. South, Crowder, Chavez, 2005; Sampson and Sharkey, 2008) and is getting more attention in European sociological studies (e.g. Muller, Grund, Koskinen, 2018). Our findings will illustrate to what extent a rise in income is translated into an improvement in neighbourhood socioeconomic status and the extent to which economic integration affects the spatial integration of immigrants. The strength of this association may have significance for individuals’ life chances and social cohesion. The analysis focuses on individuals aged 20– 49 living initially in low-income areas in three Finnish cities: Helsinki, Turku, and Tampere, which are the centres of the three largest urban regions in Finland
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