Dr. Trevon Logan, economics, The Ohio State University, presents: "Segregation, Forever."
Abstract: This paper introduces a new measure of residential segregation based on individual-level data. We exploit complete, 100% census manuscript files to derive a measure of segregation based upon the racial similarity of next door neighbors. Our measure allows us to analyze segregation consistently and comprehensively for all areas in the United States, overcomes several of the shortcomings of traditional segregation indices, and allows for a richer view of the variation in segregation patterns across time and space. The measure can distinguish between the effects of increasing racial homogeneity of a location and the tendency to segregate within a location given a particular racial composition. We show that the fineness of our measure reveals aspects of racial sorting that cannot be captured by traditional indices. Analysis of neighbor-based segregation over time establishes several new facts about segregation. The dramatic increase in segregation in the twentieth century was not driven by black migratory patterns, urbanization, or white flight to suburban areas, but rather resulted from a national increase in racial sorting at the household level. The likelihood that an African American household had a non-African American neighbor declined by more than 15 percentage points (more than a 25% decrease) through the mid twentieth century. In all areas of the United States – North and South, urban and rural – racial segregation increased dramatically. (joint with John M. Parman, College of William and Mary and NBER)
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