CHANGING THE GEOGRAPHY OF OPPORTUNITY BY EXPANDING RESIDENTIAL CHOICE- LESSONS FROM THE GAUTREAUX PROGRAM

The concept of ''geography of opportunity'' suggests that where indivi duals live affects their opportunities. While multivariate analyses ca nnot control completely for individual self-selection to neighborhoods , this article examines a residential integration program-the Gautreau x program-in which low-income blacks are randomly assigned to middle-i ncome white suburbs or low-income mostly black urban areas. Compared w ith urban movers, adult suburban movers experience higher employment b ut no different wages or hours worked, and suburban mover youth do bet ter on several educational measures and, if not in college, are more l ikely to have jobs with good pay and benefits. The two groups of youth are equally likely to interact with peers, but suburban movers are mu ch more likely to interact with whites and only slightly less likely t o interact with blacks. The article considers how attrition might affe ct the observations and speculates about the program's strengths and p itfalls.