Detailed Geographic Data Research Articles

Where does ethnic concentration matter for populist radical right support? An analysis of geographical scale and the halo effect

It is often hypothesised that the share of the population in an area belonging to an ethnic minority group positively influences the support for populist radical right-wing parties among native residents. However, empirical tests of this relationship have yielded mixed results, which may be a result of the wide variety of geographical scales at which ethnic concentration has been measured. Furthermore, it may be that it is the spatial distribution of minorities within the residential area that matters for radical right support, rather than their overall group size. The present study examines these issues by constructing egohoods and halos of varying sizes around respondents' homes. Connecting survey data from the Netherlands Longitudinal Lifecourse Study to detailed geographical data on ethnic concentration, it is found that support for the Dutch PVV is high in areas with low shares of minorities and decreases in areas with higher minority shares, up to a tipping point when minorities make up around 25% of the population. When shares of ethnic minorities become even larger, we tentatively conclude that support for the PVV increases again. This observed U-shaped pattern is consistent across distance-based egohoods ranging in radii from 200 to 5000 m, population-based egohoods with between 4000 and 120000 inhabitants, and administrative neighbourhoods, districts, and municipalities. Additionally, this study found that, in urban areas, native residents of relatively homogenous neighbourhoods whose surrounding area – the ‘halo’ – harbours a pronounced cluster of minority residents are more likely to support the radical right.

Location choices of Swedish independent schools

This paper studies the location decisions of the Swedish privately provided independent schools. It makes use of the great expansion of such schools following the 1992 independent school reform, to study the local determinants of independent school entry. The analysis thus provides evidence on the location choices made by private agents in a mixed market setting. The modifiable areal unit problem is addressed by employing a set of alternative measures for local school markets, constructed from highly detailed geographical data on schools and students. The results suggest that independent schools were more likely to choose locations with a larger share of students with high-educated parents; a higher student population density; and a lower share of students with Swedish-born parents. There is also some evidence that independent schools were less likely to locate in municipalities with a left-wing political majority.

Mobility routing optimization for physical accessibility and thermoregulation

Abstract. As routing applications become common on mobile devices, significant problems that remain are the sparse underlying data support for pedestrian-based routing and the inability to customize an existing route for specific individual accessibility needs. Cartographic researchers have repeatedly demonstrated methods for sophisticated modelling of infrastructure and have built routing portals and accessibility systems, yet these systems and their benefits have not been used widely, due to problems with underlying data support. This research reviews a few exemplar systems and presents a new routing study that uses the presence of overhead tree canopy to add a preference layer to individual routing. This allows individuals to plan and choose navigation pathways for purposes of body heat thermoregulation, a problem that exists for many individuals with mobility impairments, particularly those with spinal cord injuries. The study presented here demonstrates that successful routing underneath the tree canopy can be done in a way that only marginally increases the length of such routes. This study also demonstrates the need for detailed geographic data support for preference-based routing.

Validity of Walk Score® as a measure of neighborhood walkability in Japan.

Objective measures of environmental attributes have been used to understand how neighborhood environments relate to physical activity. However, this method relies on detailed spatial data, which are often not easily available. Walk Score® is a free, publicly available web-based tool that shows how walkable a given location is based on objectively-derived proximity to several types of local destinations and street connectivity. To date, several studies have tested the concurrent validity of Walk Score as a measure of neighborhood walkability in the USA and Canada. However, it is unknown whether Walk Score is a valid measure in other regions. The current study examined how Walk Score is correlated with objectively-derived attributes of neighborhood walkability, for residential addresses in Japan.Walk Scores were obtained for 1072 residential addresses in urban and rural areas in Japan. Five environmental attributes (residential density, intersection density, number of local destinations, sidewalk availability, and access to public transportation) were calculated using geographic information systems for each address. Pearson's correlation coefficients between Walk Score and these environmental attributes were calculated (conducted in May 2017).Significant positive correlations were observed between Walk Score and environmental attributes relevant to walking. Walk Score was most closely associated with intersection density (r = 0.82) and with the number of local destinations (r = 0.77).Walk Score appears to be a valid measure of neighborhood walkability in Japan. Walk Score will allow urban designers and public health practitioners to identify walkability of local areas without relying on detailed geographic data.

A geography of ecotourism in Cambodia: regions, patterns, and potentials

ABSTRACTTourism visits to Cambodia have expanded rapidly, with over 5 million visitors arriving in the country by 2016. Angkor Wat remains the primary tourist attraction, but increasing numbers of tourists also visit ecotourism destinations. This study draws on Weaver’s [(2002). Asian ecotourism: Patterns and themes. Tourism Geographies, 4(2), 153–172] spatial and structural analysis of ecotourism in Asia as an organizing framework to develop a geography of ecotourism in Cambodia. In a comprehensive review of academic publications, reports, online ecotourism clearinghouses, and project websites, 30 Cambodian ecotourism sites were identified based on 5 ecotourism criteria. A content analysis of ecotourism project websites was then conducted to group together ecotourism sites with common characteristics in particular geographic regions. Each site was plotted on a Google Terrain map, and local and regional terrain, land cover, transport, and other physical features were analyzed, supplemented by detailed geographical data from Google Panorama, Earth, and Satellite map functions. Three relatively distinct ecotourism regions were identified: the (a) mangrove and rainforest region, (b) highland trekking region, and (c) wetlands and waterways region. For each region, tourism gateways and ecotourism development challenges and potentials are elaborated. The paper concludes with a discussion of study findings and their implications for ecotourism development in Cambodia.

Using smart grid sensors and advanced software applications as an asset management tool at Hydro Ottawa

In 2014, Hydro Ottawa began a pilot project to use power quality monitors to locate faults on distribution feeders supplied by medium voltage systems. Fault measurements captured by the meters are downloaded automatically, integrated into a relational database, and processed for reactance calculations. The reactance calculations are combined with detailed distribution circuit models and geographic information system data to build estimated fault location tables and web-based map displays. The systems are integrated on the company intranet and used in real time by numerous groups within Hydro Ottawa including power quality engineers, control room operators, field operations, and distribution planning. The algorithm used for waveform processing can distinguish between single-phase faults, multi-phase faults, sub-cycle faults, and feeder energising magnetising inrush. This study presents an overview of some of the parameters and practices for finding faults at Hydro Ottawa.

Transit accessibility for older adults in the Greater Lansing, Michigan region

PurposeWith the growing preference of the generation of ageing baby boomers to age in place, mobility has played an increasingly important role in their continued physical and mental well-being. As older adults drive less, their ability to travel freely where and when they desire becomes increasingly limited. Consequences of this include the cessation of various activities and services that are necessary for daily living. Transportation immobility is known to negatively impact the quality of life through physical, mental, and social isolation. For any initiative or policy to be put in place, an assessment of the current state of transportation services, specifically for older adults, needs to be carried out. The purpose of this paper is to assess the access to public transit in the Greater Lansing, Michigan region, which has a population density of about 2,042 people per square kilometre, available to ageing adults, especially when they have to stop driving.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a spatial approach through the use of geographical information systems to assess the transit infrastructure available for use by older adults in the Greater Lansing region.FindingsThis paper finds a considerable gap in available options and that some of these can be addressed by quite simple actions and initiatives.Research limitations/implicationsBecause the data were drawn from the US Census, the spatial analysis is limited to block-level data. The US Census (2011) defines blocks as “statistical areas bounded by visible features such as roads, streams, and railroad tracks, and by nonvisible boundaries such as property lines, city, township, school district, county limits and short line-of-sight extensions of roads”. More detailed geographical data would have enabled a more comprehensive analysis.Practical implicationsThis study area is typical of many small towns in the USA and underlines the need for more policy- and community-led transit initiatives to address this critical barrier to optimal ageing.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils an identified need to study the transit infrastructure of a range of urban areas and ascertain whether it currently fulfils mobility needs of older adults who do not drive.

Integrated climate change risk assessment: A practical application for urban flooding during extreme precipitation

Risk assessments of flooding in urban areas during extreme precipitation for use in, for example, decision-making regarding climate adaptation, are surrounded by great uncertainties stemming from climate model projections, methods of downscaling and the assumptions of socioeconomic impact models. The multidisciplinary character of such risk assessments also requires that research groups and experts from different scientific disciplines combine knowledge and share model outputs. This paper describes an integrated framework and tool, the Danish Integrated Assessment System (DIAS), which has been designed to address the complex linkages between the different kinds of data required in assessing climate adaptation. It emphasizes that the availability of spatially explicit data can reduce the overall uncertainty of the risk assessment and assist in identifying key vulnerable assets. The usefulness of such a framework is demonstrated by means of a risk assessment of flooding from extreme precipitation for the city of Odense, Denmark. A sensitivity analysis shows how the presence of particularly important assets, such as cultural and historical heritage, may be addressed in assessing such risks. The output of the risk assessment for Odense indicates that highly detailed geographical data reduce the overall uncertainty and assist climate adaptation decision-makers in focusing on protecting those assets that are considered to be relevant in the given context. Also, using an integrated framework such as DIAS enables the relative importance of the different factors (i.e. degree of climate change, assets value, discount rate etc.) to be determined, thus influencing the overall output of the assessment.

Beyond the Lack of Data: How to Generate Spatial Data on Displaced Populations Using Global Positioning System (GPS) Loggers - The Example of Populations Displaced due to Ganges Riverbank Erosion in Malda, West Bengal, India

This case study proposes an alternative spatial sampling design when there is no enumeration of the target population. Empirical studies and spatial quantitative assessments at a local scale, in the global South or in a sensitive context often face the limitations of baseline knowledge and secondary data, resulting in the challenge of choosing methods or models appropriate to the situation. Yet, to understand the vulnerability of population to disasters and improve their resilience require a clear picture of the situation. Various methods have already been proposed for sampling when data on apopulation are limited. While taking these methods and their limits into account, we presenta new approachto designa population sample by using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) loggers. GPS systems are now widely available and easy to use and are useful when it comes to collect accurate and consistent data. Astratified survey,combined with 4,095 questionnaires,was carried out in 2015 in Malda(West Bengal). The survey allowed us to capture the spatial pattern of the erosion-affected population and to better understand their vulnerability. The method therefore shows promise for use in case studies in environments where detailed geographic and human census data have eitherlimited availability orlittle relevance.

Externalities of public housing: The effect of public housing demolitions on local crime

This paper evaluates the potential for negative externalities from public housing by examining crime rates before and after demolition of public housing projects in Chicago between 1995 and 2010. Using data on block-level crimes by type of crime merged to detailed geographic data on individual public housing demolitions, I find evidence that Chicago's public housing imposed significant externalities on the surrounding neighborhood. Using a difference in difference approach comparing neighborhoods around public housing projects to nearby neighborhoods I find that crime decreases by 8.8% after a demolition. This decrease is concentrated in violent crime. I use an event study to show that the decrease occurs at the approximate date of the eviction of the residents and persists for at least 5 years after the demolition. Neighborhoods with large demolitions and demolitions of public housing that had been poorly maintained display the largest crime decreases.

Complex niche divergence underlies lineage diversification in Oophaga poison frogs

AbstractAimDespite the incredible diversity of lowland tropical rain forests, we still have limited understanding of the drivers of speciation in these ecoregions. Here, we investigated the relative contribution of geographical and environmental factors to the diversification of a Neotropical genus of poison frogs (Oophaga).LocationCentral and South America, including regions from southern Nicaragua to northern Ecuador.MethodsWe generated gene genealogies (12S, 16S, COI, CytB and tRNA‐val, SIAH1, H3 and Rag1) and used species phylogenetic methods (MDC and *beast) to generate a robust phylogeny of Oophaga frogs. Then, we combined the resulting phylogenetic hypothesis with detailed geographical data and environmental niche modelling (ENM) to test the role of geographical isolation, climatic niche divergence and altitudinal gradients.ResultsGene genealogies were discordant and did not show exclusive genealogical patterns; however, species tree resolved the phylogenetic relationship among Oophaga species with strong node support (> 0.9 ML/BPP). Geographical ranges showed little overlap between distantly related species. However, within the South American and Central American clades, sister taxa showed substantially overlapping ranges. Analyses of ecological disparity (DTT) indicated a departure from a neutral (Brownian) model of evolution, and age‐range correlations, predicted niche occupancy profiles, and Seeva analyses showed that different species tend to evolve under different potential climatic niches.Main conclusionsOophaga frogs originated in Central America and reached South America after the closure of the Panama Isthmus. The South‐ and Central‐American clades of this genus have convergently evolved to similar patterns of geographical distribution and niche occupancy. Within clades, sister taxa showed parapatric distributions replacing each other along elevational gradients as predicted by the models of divergence along continuous ecological gradients. Accordingly, we found strong shifts in climatic niches throughout the history of these two clades. However, the largest niche shifts seem to post‐date the final elevation of the Talamanca and northern Andes. Overall, our data suggest that speciation along climatic gradients on a structured landscape has been a major evolutionary force behind the diversification of Oophaga poison frogs.

Pioneer settlement of U.S. immigrants

1. IntroductionThe foreign-born resettlement process now underway in the United States involves the increasing dispersion of immigrants to mid- and small-sized metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas throughout the country that had few immigrants before the 1980s. Several studies document the spread of immigrants to new destinations as well as the determinants and consequences of this settlement shift (Gozdziak and Martin 2005; Iceland 2009; Kandel and Parrado 2005; Lichter and Johnson 2009; Marrow 2011; Massey 2008; Odem and Lacy 2009; Singer 2004; 2008; Zuniga and Hernandez-Leon 2005). Most of what we know about the dispersion process stems from analyses of the total foreign-born population or Hispanics to macro-geographic units such as states and metropolitan areas that have relatively large foreign-born populations. However, with the exception of case studies of specific communities, we know very little about foreign-born dispersion to smaller-sized places where few immigrants live. National origin differences in dispersion to new destinations have received some attention (Hall 2013; Kritz and Gurak 2015) but, in general, little is known about group differences and their determinants. Given that the dispersion process likely starts at different points in time for national origin groups and initially involves pioneer settlement in places where immigrants have no settled compatriots, it is important to study group differences. Although pioneer settlement is an important part of the dispersion process, we are unaware of studies that examine the correlates of that process for today's immigrants. The pioneer settlement process should differ across national origin groups, given their differences in population size, skills profile, legal status, and settlement patterns. To provide insight into that process, we focus on pioneer settlement processes for immigrants from ten Asian and Latin American origins, including the Chinese, Indians, Filipinos, Koreans, Vietnamese, Mexicans, Cubans, Colombians, Dominicans, and Salvadorans.The study of pioneer settlement requires a large foreign-born sample as well as detailed geographic and national origin data for a large number of places that have standardized boundaries at two or more points in time. PUMS files, which are widely used to document settlement patterns, do not meet these requirements, especially for immigrants living in micro-geographic areas. States do have standardized boundaries but they span large territories, and traditional states, including California, Florida, and New York, have new destination places within them (Henrie and Plane 2008; Pfeffer and Parra 2009). In addition, in 1990 all 50 states already had immigrants from most of the study groups, which means they could not be considered pioneer places.3 The metropolitan places identified by Singer (2004; 2008) and Fischer and Tienda (2006) as new and emerging foreign-born destinations also had immigrants from most of our study groups in 1990. Due to the need to protect individual privacy, no settlement data by national origin are available in PUMS files for small metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, even though those are the areas with the most rapid growth in immigrant numbers.The only data files that do have sufficient sample size and detailed national origin and geographic data for all metropolitan and non-metropolitan places are the Confidential Use Micro-Data Samples (CUMS) from the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses. We draw on those data to examine the characteristics of pioneer places and migrants in the 1990s for ten immigrant groups. For each immigrant group, pioneer places are defined as geographic areas that had no immigrants in 1990 but did have one or more in 2000.4 Since this definition is group-specific, pioneer places for a given group may have had foreign-born from another origin in 1990 but not their own. In addition, a place could have been a pioneer destination for more than one of the ten origin groups in the 1990s. …

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in China: Critical Community Size and Spatial Vaccination Strategies.

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) constitutes a considerable burden for health care systems across China. Yet this burden displays important geographic heterogeneity that directly affects the local persistence and the dynamics of the disease, and thus the ability to control it through vaccination campaigns. Here, we use detailed geographic surveillance data and epidemic models to estimate the critical community size (CCS) of HFMD associated enterovirus serotypes CV-A16 and EV-A71 and we explore what spatial vaccination strategies may best reduce the burden of HFMD. We found CCS ranging from 336,979 (±225,866) to 722,372 (±150,562) with the lowest estimates associated with EV-A71 in the southern region of China where multiple transmission seasons have previously been identified. Our results suggest the existence of a regional immigration-recolonization dynamic driven by urban centers. If EV-A71 vaccines doses are limited, these would be optimally deployed in highly populated urban centers and in high-prevalence areas. If HFMD vaccines are included in China’s National Immunization Program in order to achieve high coverage rates (>85%), routine vaccination of newborns largely outperforms strategies in which the equivalent number of doses is equally divided between routine vaccination of newborns and pulse vaccination of the community at large.

Externalities of Public Housing: The Effect of Public Housing Demolitions on Local Crime

This paper evaluates the potential for negative externalities from public housing by examining crime rates before and after demolition of public housing projects in Chicago between 1995 and 2010. Using data on block-level crimes by type of crime merged to detailed geographic data on individual public housing demolitions, I find evidence that Chicago's public housing imposed significant externalities on the surrounding neighborhood. Using a difference in difference approach comparing neighborhoods around public housing projects to nearby neighborhoods I find that crime decreases by 8.8% after a demolition. This decrease is concentrated in violent crime. I use an event study to show that the decrease occurs at the approximate date of the eviction of the residents and persists for at least 5 years after the demolition. Neighborhoods with large demolitions and demolitions of public housing that had been poorly maintained display the largest crime decreases.

Residential density change: Densification and urban expansion

The development of residential areas over time is a complex process that is characterised by substantial spatial and temporal variation. In essence, residential growth processes lead to two types of development: the construction of new housing units within existing residential areas (densification) or the development of new residential areas on land that was formerly open (expansion). This paper aims to understand the dynamic balance between these two processes and does so by analysing local changes in housing stock over time.The analysis is carried out for urban areas in the Netherlands, a country where urban concentration ambitions were adjusted in recent years. This changing planning context adds to the uncertainty about future residential development processes. Using detailed geographical data about land use and residential densities from 2000 onwards we study residential development and density changes in relation to prevailing spatially explicit policies. The observed changes are statistically linked to geographic and policy variables, such as the availability of developable land and the presence of restrictive or stimulating spatial policies.Residential densification is shown to occur in almost all regions of the country and is generally lower when demand for new dwellings is high and a limited amount of land is available within cities. Residential development zones are influential in shifting pressure from city cores while prescribing relatively high densities in expansions. At the local level we observe great variation in residential density development, but we find that densities increase within designated urban development zones and areas that rich in amenities. Restrictive planning regulations related to natural and landscape values tend to limit residential densities, as do initial high densities.

Spatiotemporal spread of the 2014 outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Liberia and the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions: a computational modelling analysis

The 2014 epidemic of Ebola virus disease in parts of west Africa defines an unprecedented health threat. We developed a model of Ebola virus transmission that integrates detailed geographical and demographic data from Liberia to overcome the limitations of non-spatial approaches in projecting the disease dynamics and assessing non-pharmaceutical control interventions. We modelled the movements of individuals, including patients not infected with Ebola virus, seeking assistance in health-care facilities, the movements of individuals taking care of patients infected with Ebola virus not admitted to hospital, and the attendance of funerals. Individuals were grouped into randomly assigned households (size based on Demographic Health Survey data) that were geographically placed to match population density estimates on a grid of 3157 cells covering the country. The spatial agent-based model was calibrated with a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach. The model was used to estimate Ebola virus transmission parameters and investigate the effectiveness of interventions such as availability of Ebola treatment units, safe burials procedures, and household protection kits. Up to Aug 16, 2014, we estimated that 38·3% of infections (95% CI 17·4-76·4) were acquired in hospitals, 30·7% (14·1-46·4) in households, and 8·6% (3·2-11·8) while participating in funerals. We noted that the movement and mixing, in hospitals at the early stage of the epidemic, of patients infected with Ebola virus and those not infected was a sufficient driver of the reported pattern of spatial spread. The subsequent decrease of incidence at country and county level is attributable to the increasing availability of Ebola treatment units (which in turn contributed to drastically decreased hospital transmission), safe burials, and distribution of household protection kits. The model allows assessment of intervention options and the understanding of their role in the decrease in incidence reported since Sept 7, 2014. High-quality data (eg, to estimate household secondary attack rate, contact patterns within hospitals, and effects of ongoing interventions) are needed to reduce uncertainty in model estimates. US Defense Threat Reduction Agency, US National Institutes of Health.

Geographic information analysis and web-based geoportals to explore malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of approaches.

BackgroundChildhood malnutrition is a serious challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and a major underlying cause of death. It is the result of a dynamic and complex interaction between political, social, economic, environmental and other factors. As spatially oriented research has been established in health sciences in recent years, developments in Geographic Information Science (GIScience) provide beneficial tools to get an improved understanding of malnutrition.MethodsIn order to assess the current state of knowledge regarding the use of geoinformation analyses for exploring malnutrition in SSA, a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed literature is conducted using Scopus, ISI Web of Science and PubMed. As a supplement to the review, we carry on to investigate the establishment of web-based geoportals for providing freely accessible malnutrition geodata to a broad community. Based on these findings, we identify current limitations and discuss how new developments in GIScience might help to overcome impending barriers.Results563 articles are identified from the searches, from which a total of nine articles and eight geoportals meet inclusion criteria. The review suggests that the spatial dimension of malnutrition is analyzed most often at the regional and national level using geostatistical analysis methods. Therefore, heterogeneous geographic information at different spatial scales and from multiple sources is combined by applying geoinformation analysis methods such as spatial interpolation, aggregation and downscaling techniques. Geocoded malnutrition data from the Demographic and Health Survey Program are the most common information source to quantify the prevalence of malnutrition on a local scale and are frequently combined with regional data on climate, population, agriculture and/or infrastructure. Only aggregated geoinformation about malnutrition prevalence is freely accessible, mostly displayed via web map visualizations or downloadable map images. The lack of detailed geographic data at household and local level is a major limitation for an in-depth assessment of malnutrition and links to potential impact factors.ConclusionsWe propose that the combination of malnutrition-related studies with most recent GIScience developments such as crowd-sourced geodata collection, (web-based) interoperable spatial health data infrastructures as well as (dynamic) information fusion approaches are beneficial to deepen the understanding of this complex phenomenon.

Rapid assessment of flood susceptibility in urbanized rivers using digital terrain data: Application to the Arno river case study (Firenze, northern Italy)

As a result of the recent acquisitions of detailed geographic data in fluvial environments this study proposes an analytical procedure in a GIS environment for an easy, rapid and cost-effective evaluation of flood susceptibility within urban and sub-urban areas. The method, based on data gathering in various public offices and possibly integrating missing geomorphologic information with new records, has been tested in a real case study in central Italy from which operational instructions could be extrapolated for other similar areas in the world. A long reach of the Arno river, which is currently the most important national hydraulic emergency area in terms of civil protection, was selected for this purpose. The measured dike heights, extrapolated from a geographic database previously created by the authors on behalf of the Provincia di Firenze administration, were compared with the results of hydraulic modeling conducted by the Arno River Basin Authority in which water flood levels were simulated for various return periods. This data comparison has allowed us to identify critical points for overflow hazard. In addition, the flood discharges provided by the same model were related to the freeboard typically used in river hydraulics for the major Italian watercourses (1.00 m for a 200-year flood). A deeper analysis of the flood susceptibility was subsequently carried over to the urban area of Firenze. A model of the surface hydrological flows concentrated on the historic center has provided a comprehensive response of this area to the sudden appearance of abundant surface-water flows. The behavior of the urban water circulation in terms of path and areas involved were promptly identified with great precision during normal flow conditions of the Arno in the event of river obstruction at bridges and in case of undifferentiated runoff out from the riverbed.

The misunderstood consequences of Shelley v. Kraemer

Shelley v. Kraemer (1948) was a landmark civil rights ruling, in which the Supreme Court held that private racial covenants could not be enforced by the state to evict black buyers of “restricted” homes. Fair housing scholars have generally dismissed or downplayed the practical effects of Shelley, since other forms of housing discrimination remained very powerful. Using spatial lag models and detailed geographic data on the location of covenants and patterns of intra-urban black migration, we compare the role of Shelley with other forces shaping mid-century neighborhood change. We find that Shelley precipitated white-to-black neighborhood transitions after 1948 and changed the nature of the dual housing market in important ways. We also show that increased black mobility produced a sharp increase in intra-black economic segregation during the 1950s and 1960s.

Sweden's school choice reform and equality of opportunity

This study analyses whether the Swedish school choice reform, enacted in 1992, had differential effects for students from different socio-economic backgrounds. We use detailed geographical data on students' and schools' locations to construct measures of the degree of potential choice. This allows us to study the effects of choice opportunities among public schools, whereas previous studies have focused on newly opened private schools. Our results indicate that students from a socio-economically disadvantaged or immigrant background did not benefit less from more school choice than those from more advantaged backgrounds. If anything, students from low-income families benefited slightly more than those from higher-income families. However, the differences between groups of students are very small, as are the overall effects of the reform.