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The Rise and Decline of the American Ghetto

The Rise and Decline of the American Ghetto. Written by David M. Cutler., Edward L. Glaeser., and Jacob L. Vigdor Journal of Political Economy 107 (3) 455-506 (1999) Presented by I-Teng Wang. Introduction.

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The Rise and Decline of the American Ghetto

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  1. The Rise and Decline of the American Ghetto Written by David M. Cutler., Edward L. Glaeser., and Jacob L. Vigdor Journal of Political Economy 107 (3) 455-506 (1999) Presented by I-Teng Wang

  2. Introduction • This paper examines segregation in American cities from 1890 to 1990. It also examines the birth and development of ghettos in twentieth-century America. The authors present uniform, consistent measures of segregation from 1890 to 1990, with sample sizes ranging from 54 cities in 1990 to 313 metropolitan statistical areas ( MSAs ) today

  3. Measuring Segregation • N • Index of dissimilarity = ½ Σ ‌ ( black i / black total ) – • i=1 • ( nonblack i / nonblack total ) ‌ • N • Index of isolation = Σ [(black i / black total)·(black i /persons i )]-(black total/ persons total ) i=1 • min ( black total / persons i , 1 ) – ( black total / persons total )

  4. The History of Segregation • 1890 ~ 1940 : The birth of the ghetto, accompanied by and perhaps due to the first large-scale black migration from the rural South to the urban North. • 1940 ~ 1970 : Ghettos consolidated and expanded. The peak period for segregation in the United States was 1970. • 1970 ~ 1990 : Segregation fell throughout the country, particularly in the rapidly growing cities of the South and West.

  5. Theories about Segregation • Port of Entry Theory • Centralized ( Collective Action Racism ) Theory • Decentralized Racism Theory

  6. Predictions of Alternative Theories Theory Collective Action Racism Decentralized Racism Relation between Segregation and: Port of Entry Blacks pay more, esp. migrants. Blacks pay more. Whites pay more. House Prices Attitudes Toward Integration. Blacks prefer segregation, esp. migrants. Whites prefer segregation. Whites prefer segregation.

  7. Test Ln (housing cost) = a + b1 * (structural controls) + b2 * (tract controls) + b3 * black + b4 * (pct. black in tract) + e. Coefficient b4 tests the hypothesis.

  8. Evidence on Housing Costs • Mid-century – Greater segregation levels resulted from collective actions on the parts of Whites to exclude blacks. • Over next 30, and particularly 50, years, collective action became less important. • By 1990, differences in residential location between blacks and whites occur because whites’ desire to live in W neighborhoods exceeds blacks’ desires to live in those neighborhoods.

  9. Segregation across Cities There is clear evidence that larger or denser cities have higher levels segregation. In 1910, dissimilarity is related to city density, although isolation is not. In 1940, 1970, and 1990, both measures of segregation are strongly related to population. The coefficients are roughly the same for all three years. Over time, there are clear regional effects in segregation, but they are not apparent prior to 1970.

  10. Case Studies Cleveland : In 1990, the dissimilarity index was 0.66, the isolation index was 0.08, and only 2% was black share of population. Between 1910 and 1940, black population grew by nearly 8% annually. Also, its dissimilarity index was 0.84 and isolation index was 0.63 then. The dissimilarity index increased from 0.84 to 0.87 and the isolation index rose from 0.63 to 0.72. Since 1970, segregation has fallen. Atlanta : In 1940, Atlanta was the most segregated of 16 southern cities according to both the dissimilarity and isolation indices. Between 1970 and 1990, the share of blacks living in the suburbs of Atlanta increased from 36 to 56 percent, and suburbs are much more integrated than the city. Sacramento : In 1950, Sacramento’s black population was spread unequally. The dissimilarity index was 0.56 and the isolation index was 0.11 then. Between 1950 and 1970, both dissimilarity and isolation indices rose by 0.1. The share of blacks rose from 5% to 7% between 1970 and 1990.

  11. Lessons from the Case Studies In Cleveland, segregation was driven by the growth of the black population, both because some blacks desired segregated areas and also because black in-migration sparked racial hatred among whites. Collective action racism played a substantial role in the formation of the ghetto in Atlanta. Segregation remains high in many cities, but in areas with more rapid population change, such as Sacramento, patterns of stable integration are developing.

  12. Conclusion • The levelof segregation in urban America rose for nearly a century and then modestly declined. • Despite these large changes in segregation over time, segregation across cities is very persistent and is strongly related to city size.

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