Nina Guyon - Can Residential Social Segregation Be Reduced? Evidence from a French Desegregation Policy

Seminar Series banner

Melbourne Institute Seminar Room
Room 6.05, FBE Building
111 Barry St, Carlton

Map

More Information

Barbara Broadway

bhanel@unimelb.edu.au

  • Melbourne Institute Seminar

Title: Can Residential Social Segregation Be Reduced? Evidence from a French Desegregation Policy

Abstract: Residential social segregation matters as it may lead to a socially inefficient equilibrium because of peer effects and geographical discrimination. This paper focuses on a French national urban policy aiming at decreasing social segregation in poor neighborhoods by demolishing poor quality social housing to reconstruct new buildings meant for richer households. Using a difference-in-differences strategy with unaffected poor neighborhoods as a control, together with very geographically-precise income tax data, I show that the policy decreased the prevalence of poverty in treated neighborhoods. This impact seems mostly due to demolitions targeting the poorest buildings, and not to richer households moving in. I then show that this led to an overall decrease in residential social segregation in treated metropolitan areas that is also noticeable at school

Presenter: Dr Nina Guyon, University of Singapore

The program coordinator of these seminars is Barbara Broadway. If you would like to subscribe to the Melbourne Institute Seminar Series email list, please contact Barbara.