Abstract
Spatial mismatch relates the unemployment and poverty of vulnerable population groups to their remoteness from job opportunities. Although the intuition initially applied to African Americans in US inner cities, spatial mismatch has a broader validity beyond the sole US context. In light of a detailed presentation of the mechanisms at work, we present the main results from various empirical tests of the spatial mismatch theory. Since key aspects of that theory remain to be tested, we also discuss methodological approaches and provide guidance for further research. We derive lessons for policy implications and comment on the appropriateness of related urban policies.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank all our respective coauthors on our work on spatial mismatch for the many interesting discussions that helped us better understand the topic. Readers may find additional insights on the topic by reading “Labor Market Theory and Models”, “Job Search Theory”, “Commuting, Housing, and Labor Markets”, and “Instrumental Variables/Method of Moments Estimation” in the present edition of the Handbook of Regional Science. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this chapter are ours and do not represent the view of our employers, including the World Bank, its executive directors, or the countries they represent.
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Gobillon, L., Selod, H. (2019). Spatial Mismatch, Poverty, and Vulnerable Populations. In: Fischer, M., Nijkamp, P. (eds) Handbook of Regional Science. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36203-3_7-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36203-3_7-1
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