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Cited by 2,315Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation StudiesSchool Choice and PerformanceIntergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies

The Effects of Exposure to Better Neighborhoods on Children: New Evidence from the Moving to Opportunity Experiment

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Chetty, Raj, Hendren, Nathaniel, Katz, Lawrence F.·2016·American Economic Review
DOI 10.1257/aer.20150572
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Abstract

The Moving to Opportunity (MTO) experiment offered randomly selected families housing vouchers to move from high-poverty housing projects to lower-poverty neighborhoods. We analyze MTO's impacts on children's long-term outcomes using tax data. We find that moving to a lower-poverty neighborhood when young (before age 13) increases college attendance and earnings and reduces single parenthood rates. Moving as an adolescent has slightly negative impacts, perhaps because of disruption effects. The decline in the gains from moving with the age when children move suggests that the duration of exposure to better environments during childhood is an important determinant of children's long-term outcomes. (JEL I31, I38, J13, R23, R38)

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8 of 8 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Vouchers that give low-income families access to schools in districts with high housing prices can be an effective policy response.

    “In line with the evidence from the Moving to Opportunity program (Chetty, Hendren, and Katz 2016), their model shows that vouchers that give low-income families access to schools in districts with high housing prices can be an effective policy response.”

    From Educational Inequality* (2022) · cites this paper as Chetty, Hendren, and Katz 2016

  • It is also consistent with evidence from the Moving to Opportunity experiment showing that moving to a low-poverty neighborhood as a young child significantly increases income for both blacks and whites, whereas moving as an adult does not.

    “It is also consistent with evidence from the Moving to Opportunity experiment showing that moving to a low-poverty neighborhood as a young child significantly increases income for both blacks and whites, whereas moving as an adult does not (Chetty, Hendren, and Katz 2016).”

    From Race and Economic Opportunity in the United States: an Intergenerational Perspective* (2020) · cites this paper as Chetty, Hendren, and Katz 2016

  • Moving poor residents from high-poverty neighborhoods to lower-poverty residential areas can produce benefits and negative effects simultaneously.

    “Research also indicates that the benefits of moving poor residents from high-poverty neighborhood environments to lower poverty residential areas can co-occur with negative effects.”

    From Reducing Racial Inequities in Health: Using What We Already Know to Take Action (2019) · cites this paper as [55]

  • In the Yonkers Housing Intervention and the Moving to Opportunity project, adverse educational and behavioral outcomes were observed among teenagers who were older at the time of the initial move.

    “in both the Yonkers Housing Intervention [54] and Moving to Opportunity project [55], adverse educational and behavioral outcomes were observed among the teenagers who were older at the time of the initial move.”

    From Reducing Racial Inequities in Health: Using What We Already Know to Take Action (2019) · cites this paper as [55]

  • In the long term, Moving to Opportunity results were markedly more positive for children who moved when they were under 13 years old, but children who were adolescents when they moved experienced worse outcomes.

    “However, in the long term, results were markedly more positive for children who moved when they were under 13 years old, but children who were adolescents when they moved experienced worse outcomes (136).”

    From Review of the Impact of Housing Quality on Inequalities in Health and Well-Being (2023) · cites this paper as [136]

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Authors
Chetty, R., Hendren, N., & Katz, L. F.
Affiliations
National Bureau of Economic Research (US)
ORCID
Venue
American Economic Review
Publisher
American Economic Association
Published
2016-04-01
Volume
106
Issue
4
Pages
855-902
ISSN
0002-8282 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1257/aer.20150572
OpenAlex
W1484598383
Cited by
2,315
References
8
Citations by year
2026: 178 · 2025: 236 · 2024: 271 · 2023: 235 · 2022: 246 · 2021: 261 · 2020: 209 · 2019: 265 · 2018: 160 · 2017: 119 · 2016: 99 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 4
FWCI
614.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • American Economic Review (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation
  • Laura and John Arnold Foundation
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG031259)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies
  • Social Sciences › Education › School Choice and Performance
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies
Keywords
Moving to Opportunity, neighborhood poverty, housing vouchers, college attendance, earnings, single parenthood, early childhood exposure, tax information
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Birth Rate, Child, Child, Preschool, Educational Status, Female, Housing, Humans, Illegitimacy, Income, Marriage, Poverty, Pregnancy, Residence Characteristics, Social Mobility, United States, Young Adult, Social Determinants of Health

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