The Impact of Gentrification on Voter Turnout*

Objective. The goal of this article is to test between two competing theories (mobilization vs. destabilization) about the impact of gentrification on political participation. Methods. Using geographic information systems (GIS) software, Census data from 1990 and 2000, and a voter file for the City of Atlanta, we estimate a multilevel model of voter turnout. Results. Controlling for relevant individual and contextual factors, we find that gentrification decreases turnout among longstanding residents. Conclusions. Our findings provide support for the destabilization hypothesis and suggest that policymakers should develop strategies to soften the negative consequences of gentrification.     

Metropolitan Labour Markets, Peripheral Labour Markets and Socio-economic Outcomes among Immigrants to Israel

This article focuses on the impact of the local opportunity structure on socio‐economic outcomes of recent immigrants to Israel. Specifically, it examines the extent to which metropolitan labour markets versus peripheral labour markets differentially affect socio‐economic incorporation of recent “Russian” immigrants who arrived in Israel after the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1989. Using the 1995 Israeli Census of Population, the analyses address the following questions: (1) were recent immigrants differentially sorted to local labour markets; (2) do local labour markets differentially affect socio‐economic attainment; and (3) do modes of socio‐economic attainment and patterns of ethnic inequality differ across metropolitan and peripheral labour markets? The analyses reveal that immigrants from the European republics and of lower education are more likely to settle in peripheral labour markets than in metropolitan labour markets. Peripheral labour markets, compared with metropolitan labour markets, have detrimental consequences for the socio‐economic outcomes of immigrants. The data do not provide strong support for the thesis that patterns of socio‐economic attainment and inequality differ much across labour markets. The rules according to which socio‐economic attainment of immigrants is determined are, for the most part, similar across labour markets. In general, occupational status and earnings of immigrants are likely to increase with the passage of time, education, European origin; and to decline with age regardless of type of the local labour market. However, the socio‐economic outcomes of immigrants are considerably higher in the metropolis than in the periphery. The findings suggest that the local labour market plays a major role in the determination of immigrants' socio‐economic rewards and outcomes.     

The Impact of Parental Transfers on Living Standards of Married Children

The paper focuses on the effect of various forms of parental assistance (i.e.financial support to meet living expenses, purchase of housing, fundingeducation) on living standards (i.e., possession of material goods). Analysisof the data from the Israeli sample reveals a considerable variation amongfamilies with regard to parental support. The data demonstrate that supportis more prevalent among families of high socioeconomic origin (and ofsmaller size) than among families of low socioeconomic origin. Parentalsupport, in turn, significantly affects current standard of living (i.e.number of household goods in possession of the family). That is, familiesthat have benefited from extensive support are more likely to maintainhigher living standards net of social resources and labor market outcomes.The effect of support for education is mediated via labor market outcomes,whereas the impact of support toward purchase of home is direct and netof labor market rewards. The findings revealed by the analysis suggest,rather strongly, that parental transfers not only reproduce but mayactually increase economic inequality across generations. The meaning offindings are discussed in light of theories of social stratification andinequality.     

Segregated jobs or ethnic niches?: The impact of racialized employment on earnings inequality

Using data from the Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality (MCSUI), this study examines the extent to which the racial or ethnic composition of jobs affects racial and ethnic-linked earnings inequalities among whites, blacks and Hispanics. Four types of jobs are distinguished according to the racial/ethnic composition of jobs in work establishments: predominantly white, multi-racial or mixed, predominantly black, and predominantly Hispanic. We found considerable differences among the four types of jobs. Jobs composed predominantly of white workers are characterized by the highest earnings, the highest status occupations, and the highest levels of education. In contrast, jobs predominantly composed of Hispanic workers are characterized by the lowest salaries, the lowest status occupations, and the lowest levels of education. The data analysis supports the hypothesis that job segregation is responsible for earnings disparities in the case of blacks versus whites, but only partial support for this hypothesis is found in the case of Hispanics versus whites. The analysis also provides support for the “devaluation hypothesis” which suggests that all workers experience pay penalties in jobs in which minority workers are predominant. Further analysis reveals that had most workers been rewarded like whites employed in predominantly white jobs, their earnings would have increased considerably. The only groups of workers who “benefit” from job segregation are Hispanic workers employed in predominately Hispanic jobs. In the absence of competition with others, Hispanics employed in predominantly Hispanic jobs earn more than they would earn in other jobs. The differential effects of the ethnic composition of jobs on economic outcomes of minority populations are evaluated and discussed in light of the roles played by sheltered and protected ethnic economies.     

Long-term effects of international migration: Lessons from Israel

The paper shows that characteristics of immigrants at the time of immigration affect both long-term occupational achievements and income at the end of the labor force career, after age 59. Data representing 174,000 Jewish males 60 and older from a 1985 survey by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics are analyzed to show how the timing of immigration, the number of years in the country, age at immigration, country of origin, and educational resources at time of immigration are related to years in the labor force in the host country, occupational achievement, pension entitlement and income after age 59. Both direct and indirect effects are analyzed. The results show the importance of immigration characteristics on long-term socioeconomic adjustment, and the necessity of considering social status over the life course as an indicator of long-term immigrant adjustment. Decomposition of the effect of country of origin pinpoints what characteristics at time of immigration influence social status differences in ethnic groups at older ages. The discussion includes a number of methodological implications for future studies in immigration.Abbreviations AA Asian-African - CBS Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics - EA European-American This article is based on a paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics, New York, March 1993. It was written while the authors were on leave from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.     

Comparison of experiments for a class of positively dependent random variables

Using Blackwell's definition for comparison of experiments, it is shown that some sets of positively dependent random variables are less informative than similar sets of independent random variables. It is also shown that the information content of symmetric multivariate normal random vectors with a common known variance increases as the common correlation coefficient decreases. Some results which compare members of two-parameter exponential families are also included.     

Pattern classification for diagnostic purposes

Behavioral information acquisition strategies in a diagnosis problem are formulated and examined and the effects on these strategies of both information presentation and user training are tested. Twenty-five subjects participated in an experiment in which the decision maker was required to solve a set of medical diagnosis problems. A matrix of 7 illnesses and 11 possible tests was presented on a micro-computer; the task was to diagnose the correct illness with the minimum number of tests. The results were analyzed using verbal protocols and a computerized record of the user's responses. The results confirm the use of certain behavioral strategies, in particular concentration on a small subset of classes in a regular pattern, and a positional effect on the choice of tests was also detected. The implications of these results on the design of management information systems are discussed.