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Residential Mobility and Children's Social Capital: Evidence from an Experiment

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  • Becky Pettit
  • Sara McLanahan

Abstract

Objective. This article examines the effects of residential mobility on social connections that are likely to affect children's well‐being. Methods. We use data from a survey of participants in a housing experiment in Los Angeles, California to examine whether families that moved from public housing projects to other neighborhoods suffered short‐term losses of social capital. Results. Results indicate that residential mobility is associated with a reduced likelihood of parents talking with the parents of their children's friends. However, the effects of residential mobility on social capital are sensitive to adjustments for poverty levels in destination neighborhoods and factors that influence the probability of moving. Conclusions. Our results suggest that at least some of the negative effects of moving shown in previous studies may be due to negative selection. That is, families that move may be less successful at developing social ties than families that do not move. This finding suggests that future research on residential mobility needs to pay closer attention to factors that influence why and where families move.

Suggested Citation

  • Becky Pettit & Sara McLanahan, 2003. "Residential Mobility and Children's Social Capital: Evidence from an Experiment," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 84(3), pages 632-649, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:84:y:2003:i:3:p:632-649
    DOI: 10.1111/1540-6237.8403009
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    Cited by:

    1. Andrew L. Hicks & Mark S. Handcock & Narayan Sastry & Anne R. Pebley, 2018. "Sequential Neighborhood Effects: The Effect of Long-Term Exposure to Concentrated Disadvantage on Children’s Reading and Math Test Scores," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(1), pages 1-31, February.
    2. Gibbons, Stephen & Silva, Olmo & Weinhardt, Felix, 2017. "Neighbourhood Turnover and Teenage Attainment," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 15(4), pages 746-783.
    3. Stephen L. Ross, 2009. "Social Interactions within Cities: Neighborhood Environments and Peer Relationships," Working papers 2009-31, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics.
    4. Stefanie Mollborn & Elizabeth Lawrence & Elisabeth Dowling Root, 2018. "Residential Mobility Across Early Childhood and Children’s Kindergarten Readiness," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(2), pages 485-510, April.
    5. Kristin Turney & Kristen Harknett, 2007. "Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage, Residential Stability, and Perceptions of Social Support among New Mothers," Working Papers 900, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    6. Tyler B. Jamison, 2018. "Cohabitation Transitions Among Low-income Parents: A Qualitative Investigation of Economic and Relational Motivations," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 73-87, March.
    7. repec:pri:crcwel:wp07-08-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Aarland, Kristin & Santiago, Anna Maria & Galster, George C. & Nordvik, Viggo, 2021. "Childhood Housing Tenure and Young Adult Educational Outcomes: Evidence from Sibling Comparisons in Norway," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    9. Vicki Been & Ingrid Ellen & David N. Figlio & Ashlyn Nelson & Stephen Ross & Amy Ellen Schwartz & Leanna Stiefel, 2021. "The Effects of Negative Equity on Children’s Educational Outcomes," NBER Working Papers 28428, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Jie Chen, 2013. "Housing tenure, residential mobility and adolescents’ education achievement: evidence from Sweden," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 50(1), pages 275-294, February.
    11. Boynton-Jarrett, Renée & Hair, Elizabeth & Zuckerman, Barry, 2013. "Turbulent times: Effects of turbulence and violence exposure in adolescence on high school completion, health risk behavior, and mental health in young adulthood," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 77-86.

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