中文摘要
我们描述了美国地方政府边界与居住隔离之间的经验关系。首先，我们利用1990—2020年居住人口特征的普查街区数据，研究所有大都市区中地方政府内部及地方政府之间隔离分布的近期变化。我们发现，地方政府边界两侧的隔离解释了种族分层的很大一部分，而这种分层在过去三十年中变化甚微。随后，我们运用空间断点回归方法，区分由社区便利设施和地方政府提供的公共品所引起的家庭区位选择。地方政府边界处人口特征不连续现象的普遍存在表明，辖区之间的隔离格局不能仅由邻近社区便利设施来解释。我们讨论了其政策含义，并表明辖区间隔离和辖区边界处的不连续性均可部分解释总体隔离与教育结果种族差距之间的相关性。（JEL H41、H75、I24、I26、J15、R23）
Abstract
We describe the empirical relationship between local government boundaries and residential segregation in the United States. First, we study recent changes in the distribution of segregation within and between local governments in all metropolitan areas, using census block data on residential demographics over the period 1990–2020. We find that segregation across local government boundaries explains a substantial share of racial stratification, which has changed only little over the last thirty years. Next, we use spatial regression discontinuity methods to distinguish between household sorting due to neighborhood amenities and public goods provided by local governments. The prevalence of demographic discontinuities at local government boundaries suggest that between-jurisdiction segregation patterns cannot be explained solely by proximity to neighborhood amenities. We discuss implications for policy, showing that both between-jurisdiction segregation and jurisdictional discontinuities can partly explain the correlation between total segregation and racial gaps in educational outcomes. (JEL H41, H75, I24, I26, J15, R23)