Income Segregation and the Rise of the Knowledge Economy

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
Year: 2023
Volume: 15
Issue: 2
Pages: 69-102

Authors (2)

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We analyze the effect of an increase in knowledge-intensive activities on spatial inequality in US cities. We leverage a predetermined network of patent citations to instrument for local innovation trends. Between 1990 and 2010, a one-standard-deviation increase in patent growth increases income segregation by 0.65 Gini points, corresponding to 0.31 standard deviations of the over-time change in income segregation. This effect mainly arises from the sorting of residents by income, occupation, and education. Local shocks to innovation induce a clustering of knowledge-intensive jobs and residents, amplified by the response of rents and amenities.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejapp:v:15:y:2023:i:2:p:69-102
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-24