The Long-Term Impacts of Neighborhoods on the Economic Outcomes of Children with Disabilities

• In Event: 40825 - Disability, Work and Economies of Difference

Abstract

This study will examine how childhood neighborhood environments influence the long-term economic mobility of children with disabilities using administrative data from Texas, which tracks educational and economic outcomes for over 1.4 million children. The research consists of three key components. First, it will define high-mobility neighborhoods by measuring both absolute mobility (expected adult earnings) and relative mobility (expected earnings disparities between disabled and non-disabled individuals). Second, it will estimate a fixed effects model to quantify the causal impact of exposure to high-mobility neighborhoods on the expected adult earnings of children with disabilities, using exposure duration as a key factor. Third, it will apply machine learning techniques, including LASSO regression and Random Forest analysis, to identify the key characteristics of high-mobility neighborhoods, with a particular focus on disability-specific factors such as geographic variation in special education quality and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) participation rate.

Author

• Pyung Kim, University of California, Santa Barbara