Residential segregation, urbanization, and unequal living conditions

Segregation and socioeconomic disparities between different areas and groups are receiving increasing attention in public debate, both as issues in themselves and in connection to crime and social unrest. To influence the situation in the long term, it is essential to understand how these disparities have emerged, their consequences, and the effects of different policy alternatives on individuals and communities. This research program aims to address these questions through projects structured into three work packages with distinct but interrelated objectives.

The first objective (Work Package 1) is to enhance our understanding of the factors that have shaped the residential segregation present in Sweden today. To achieve this, we will apply modern statistical methods to geographically detailed individual-level data covering the entire population from 1950 to the present.

The second objective (Work Package 2) is to examine the consequences of growing up in a segregated environment. We aim to deepen our understanding of how and why social mobility—through the formation and returns of human capital from early childhood, through adolescence, and into adulthood—varies across geographic regions, demographic groups, and time periods.

The third component (Work Package 3) of the program focuses on evaluating area-based and individual-targeted policies aimed at improving individuals' life opportunities and conditions in various urban and rural areas.

Project start

2024-01-01

Funding

The Swedish Research Council

Researchers

Matz Dahlberg – Professor of Economics, IBF (Project Leader)

Kerstin Enflo – Professor of Economic History, Lund University

Gustaf Gredebäck – Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology

Olof Åslund – Professor of Economics, Department of Economics