Abstract
Why are the east sides of formerly industrial cities more deprived? To answer this question, we use individual-level census data and create historical pollution patterns derived from the locations of 5,000 industrial chimneys and an atmospheric model. We show that this observation results from path dependent neighborhood sorting that began during the Industrial Revolution as prevailing winds blew pollution eastwards. Past pollution explains up to 20% of the observed neighborhood segregation in 2011, even though coal pollution stopped in the 1970s. We develop a quantitative model to identify the role of neighborhood effects and relocation rigidities in underlying this persistence.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1508-1552 |
| Number of pages | 45 |
| Journal | Journal of Political Economy |
| Volume | 129 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Early online date | 5 Apr 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 May 2021 |
Structured keywords
- ECON Applied Economics
- ECON CEPS Data
- ECON CEPS Environment
Keywords
- Neighborhood Sorting
- Historical Pollution
- Persistence
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This is the final published version of the article (version of record). It first appeared online via University of Chicago Press at https://doi.org/10.1086/713101 . Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher.
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Professor Yanos Zylberberg
- School of Economics - Professor of Economics
- Migration Mobilities Bristol
Person: Academic , Member