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Dividing Lines: Racial Segregation across Local Government Boundaries

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  • Tomás Monarrez
  • David Schönholzer

Abstract

We describe the empirical relationship between local government boundaries and residential segregation in the United States. First, we study recent changes in the distribution of segregation within and between local governments in all metropolitan areas, using census block data on residential demographics over the period 1990–2020. We find that segregation across local government boundaries explains a substantial share of racial stratification, which has changed only little over the last thirty years. Next, we use spatial regression discontinuity methods to distinguish between household sorting due to neighborhood amenities and public goods provided by local governments. The prevalence of demographic discontinuities at local government boundaries suggest that between-jurisdiction segregation patterns cannot be explained solely by proximity to neighborhood amenities. We discuss implications for policy, showing that both between-jurisdiction segregation and jurisdictional discontinuities can partly explain the correlation between total segregation and racial gaps in educational outcomes.

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  • Tomás Monarrez & David Schönholzer, 2023. "Dividing Lines: Racial Segregation across Local Government Boundaries," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 61(3), pages 863-887, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:jeclit:v:61:y:2023:i:3:p:863-87
    DOI: 10.1257/jel.20221703
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Austin, D. Andrew, 1999. "Politics vs Economics: Evidence from Municipal Annexation," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 501-532, May.
    2. Kenny, Lawrence W & Schmidt, Amy B, 1994. "The Decline in the Number of School Districts in the U.S.: 1950-1980," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 79(1-2), pages 1-18, April.
    3. Courtney A. Collins & Erin K. Kaplan, 2017. "Capitalization of School Quality in Housing Prices: Evidence from Boundary Changes in Shelby County, Tennessee," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(5), pages 628-632, May.
    4. Nora Gordon & Brian Knight, 2008. "The Effects of School District Consolidation on Educational Cost and Quality," Public Finance Review, , vol. 36(4), pages 408-430, July.
    5. Brasington, David M., 1999. "Joint provision of public goods: the consolidation of school districts," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(3), pages 373-393, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Vikram Maheshri & Kenneth Whaley, 2024. "Boundaries Generate Discontinuities in the Urban Landscape," Working Papers 2024-04, University of South Florida, Department of Economics.
    2. Jonathan Colmer & Suvy Qin & John Voorheis & Reed Walker, 2024. "Income, Wealth, and Environmental Inequality in the United States," Working Papers 24-57, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    3. Jonathan Colmer & Suvy Qin & John Voorheis & Reed Walker, 2024. "Income, wealth and environmental inequality in the United States," CEP Discussion Papers dp2051, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    4. Dionissi Aliprantis & Mukund Jayaram, 2023. "K–12 Schools in Ohio Are Separate and Unequal," Working Papers 2023-16, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods
    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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