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Sick of Your Poor Neighborhood? Quasi-Experimental Evidence on Neighborhood Effects on Health

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  • Hasager, Linea

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • Jørgensen, Mia

    (Danmarks Nationalbank)

Abstract

Does living in a low-income neighborhood have negative health consequences? We document causal neighborhood effects on health by exploiting a Spatial Dispersal Policy that quasi-randomly resettled refugees across neighborhoods from 1986 to 1998. Refugees allocated to low-income neighborhoods had a 12 percent higher risk of having developed a lifestyle related disease 8 to 15 years after immigration compared with those allocated to high-income neighborhoods. Our results suggest that interaction with neighbors and the characteristics of the immediate environment are important determinants for health outcomes. Differences in health care access, ethnic networks, and individual labor market outcomes cannot explain our findings.

Suggested Citation

  • Hasager, Linea & Jørgensen, Mia, 2024. "Sick of Your Poor Neighborhood? Quasi-Experimental Evidence on Neighborhood Effects on Health," IZA Discussion Papers 16949, IZA Network @ LISER.
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16949
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

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