The number of studies estimating neighbourhood effects has increased rapidly during the last two decades. Although results from these studies vary, a majority find at least small effects. But to what extent can we trust these estimates? Neighbourhood effect studies face many serious methodological challenges, of which some are related to the fact that people move. The mobility of individuals may cause neighbourhoods to change over time, result in exposure times that are too short and seriously bias estimates. These methodological problems have not been given enough attention in the neighbourhood effect literature: no study controls for them all, and implications of mobility are rarely included in theoretical discussions of neighbourhood effects. In a comprehensive summary and five different papers, I argue that the two scholarly fields of residential mobility and neighbourhood effect studies are intrinsically connected and that any arbitrary separation between the two is both conceptually problematic and risks leading to erroneous conclusions. Studies of neighbourhood effects must address the problems caused by mobility, before it can be convincingly argued that results actually show neighbourhood effects. To do this, longitudinal data are necessary. Furthermore, the connection between the two fields may also have implications for studies of residential mobility.

Essay 1: This paper studies tipping behaviour in the residential mobility of the native population inSweden between 1990 and 2007. Using regression discontinuity methods, we find that thegrowth in native population in a neighbourhood discontinuously drops once aneighbourhood’s immigrant share exceeds the identified tipping point. In the 1990s the dropcan be attributed both to increased out-migration of natives (native flight) and to thedecreased in-migration of natives (native avoidance) while native flight appears to be drivingthe segregation pattern between the years 2000 and 2007. Further, we find native migrationfrom neighbourhoods that have tipped is selective, in the sense that natives with a high levelof educational attainment are the most likely to move from such neighbourhood. We concludethat the native residential mobility has contributed to increased ethnic segregation but it alsoappears to have increased socio-economic segregation in Sweden between 1990 and 2007. Essay 2: This paper focuses on second-generation immigrants and analyses the short- and long-termeffects of immigrant and ethnic group concentration in childhood neighbourhood on earnings,unemployment, reliance on income support and educational attainment. The results show thata high immigrant concentration in a childhood neighbourhood is negatively associated witheconomic outcomes of both second-generation immigrants and natives. Ethnic groupconcentration seems to work in the opposite direction, improving economic outcomes forsecond-generation immigrants. Furthermore, the results highlight the importance of includingtime dynamics in any analysis of the effect of childhood neighbourhood ethnic compositionon economic outcomes.

Sara, Amatul Sabooh (2020) Exploring place attachment and neighbourhood effects: A case study of Skärholmen and Vårberg, Sweden Urban and Regional Planning, advanced level, master thesis for master exam in Urban and Regional Planning, 30 ECTS credits Supervisors: Danielle Drozdsewski and Eva Andersson Language: English Key words: neighbourhood effect, place attachment, social cohesion, collective efficacy, social ties. Abstract If we take residential neighbourhoods as a space for making social ties and interactions, we can learn a lot about the generated neighbourhood effects on its residents and their subsequent attachments towards neighbourhoods as a place. It is believed that neighbourhoods have an impact on individuals and groups either significant or insignificant. The neighbourhood effect is understood by deeply observing the common trends, norms and similar behaviours, furthermore, by measuring the influence it has on life of its residents. This study intends to explore the relationships between neighbourhood effects and place attachment and is inspired from a bigger project ‘The Neighbourhood Revisited’ (Research programme in Department of Human Geography at Stockholm University, Riksbankens Jubileumsfond 2019-2024) that explores the spatial polarization and social cohesion in contemporary Sweden. The aim of my study is to look at social ties, how it changes over time and what neighbourhood effects we can observe on its residents’ social lives. Neighbourhood effect and place attachment studied together, through the narratives of local residents give many new meanings to both concepts. My focus here is on social aspects of it.