The Mechanisms of Spatial Mismatch

Abstract

Summary. The spatial mismatch hypothesis (SMH) argues that low-skilled minorities residing in US inner cities experience poor labour market outcomes because they are disconnected from suburban job opportunities. This assumption gave rise to an abundant empirical literature, which is rather supportive of the SMH. Surprisingly, it is only recently that theoretical models have emerged, which probably explains why the mechanisms of spatial mismatch have long remained unclear and not properly tested. This article presents relevant facts, reviews the theoretical models of spatial mismatch, confronts their predictions with available empirical results and indicates which mechanisms deserve further empirical tests.

Explaining Racial/Ethnic Gaps in Spatial Mismatch in the US: The Primacy of Racial Segregation

“…Recent work has also attempted to identify the mechanisms by which spatial mismatch might operate to disadvantage those far from jobs (Gobillon, Selod, and Zenou, 2007;Stoll, 1999;Ihlanfeldt, 1997). Despite decades of empirical analysis examining whether and how spatial mismatch matters in the labor market, there is a lack of literature that explores factors that account for racial/ethnic gaps in job access, that is, in spatial mismatch conditions.…”

Activos y estructuras de oportunidades de movilidad: Una propuesta analítica para el estudio de la accesibilidad por transporte público, el bienestar y la equidad

“…Una de las manifestaciones de esta producción es la línea de estudios sobre la hipó-tesis del spatial mismatch, la que postula que las oportunidades laborales para los sectores de bajos ingresos se localizan lejos de sus lugares de residencia. En Estados Unidos, esta hipótesis fue de particular importancia para analizar la inserción decitaria de la población negra de las áreas centrales de la ciudad en las mejores oportunidades localizadas en los suburbios (Blumenberg, 2004;Gobillon, Selod & Zenou, 2007;Kain, 1968Kain, , 1992. Su énfasis está puesto en el desfase geográ co entre el lugar de residencia de los menos favorecidos y sus oportunidades laborales, y se concentra menos en los mecanismos que determinan los obstáculos a la movilidad.…”

Access to public transport and labor informality

“…The spatial mismatch literature identifies several mechanisms through which constrained physical access to jobs can result in more unemployment [3]. That analysis can be extended to explain how these mechanisms can lead to more informal employment.…”

“…Because residential choices are not randomly assigned, the endogeneity of residential choice makes it methodologically challenging to estimate the causal effect of employment access on employment outcomes [3]. Some studies have used quasinatural experiments and randomized controlled experiments, as well as statistical methods such as instrumental variables strategies, to distinguish the causal effect of accessibility on labor market outcomes.…”