Does past migration matter for economic development in the long-term? Does an area’s history in migration affect economic performance long after the initial migration shock has faded away? And – does it matter what type of immigrant settles in a territory for the economic impact of migration to persist in time? This dissertation examines the long-term economic impact of migration, connecting migrant settlement patterns at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century to present day levels of income per capita. It firstly estimates the effect of different compositional features of the historical migrant stock on long-term economic development levels in the United States (US), a country founded and essentially formed by migrants. Secondly, it tests whether there is a link between past European and recent Latin American migration to the US to identify whether one potential transmission mechanism could be at play in transferring the migrants’ economic impact across time. The results of the analyses conducted using a variety of methods – OLS, IV, and panel data estimation techniques – provide three novel insights. Firstly, historical migrant stock is one of the very few historical county features that still explain current levels of development. In contrast to other factors, such as past income and education levels or industry structure, the influence of past migration on economic development does not seem to fade over the very long-term. Secondly, compositional aspects related to the historical migrant stock remain highly decisive for economic development outcomes more than 100 years later. The diversity of the migrant population, the gender balance, as well as the average distance travelled by the migrant stock over a century earlier still influence regional economic development levels today. All three features have growth-enhancing implications over the short as well as over the long-term. Lastly, past migration – irrespective of the presence of family connections, ethnic ties, or migration networks – shapes the geographical patterns of successive migration waves spanning multiple decades and even generations. An area’s migration history acts as a crucial pull factor for future migrants and is at the root of the formation of migration-prone and migration-averse regions. Consequently, previous migration contributes to ‘rework’ the places of destination, making them more attractive for future generations of migrants. All in all, the findings show that migration not only matters for economic development, but that its economic influence determines the success and prosperity of territories and the well-being of their inhabitants over the very long-term.

The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the literature on the impact of Complete Streets policies on individual well-being so that policy-makers can fully understand the outcomes of the polices they adopt. For the purposes of this paper, well-being is defined as work-life balance, income, social capital, and health outcomes. The empirical strategy, using fixed effects and difference-in-differences approaches to analyze American Community Survey and National Complete Streets Coalition data, attempts to show how Complete Streets policies and projects affect well-being outcomes including income and wage, usual hours worked per week, travel time to work, spousal relationship, and self-care difficulty in the past six months. The results of the Complete Streets policy analysis at the city-level were insignificant while the Complete Streets project analysis results at the community-level were generally significant. These results indicate that Complete Streets projects may have an impact on the well-being of individuals. This thesis provides evidence that policy-makers should consider the impact of Complete Streets on individuals during the policy deliberation process and confirms the need for further academic research on this topic.

This paper documents the sources of data used in the construction of the estimates of the Levy Institute Measure of Economic Wellbeing (LIMEW) for the years 1959, 1972, 1982, 1989, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, and 2013. It also documents the methods used to combine the various sources of data into the synthetic dataset used to produce each year’s LIMEW estimates.

Family recreation contributes to positive family health and well-being and plays an important role in promoting healthy youth development. The Family Activity Model posits that families seek out novel activity environments for recreation. National parks are novel environments and create opportunities for engaging in family recreation activities such as hiking. Therefore, we evaluate the reach of the “Every Kid in a Park” initiative of the U.S. National Park Service, which offers free admission to children in fourth grade and their guests. Using a large, nationally representative data sample from the American Time Use Survey, we conduct difference-indifferences analysis to determine whether hiking patterns by family members of fourth-graders have changed following the policy implementation. We find that hiking patterns have increased overall for family members of fourth-graders following the implementation of the initiative. Moreover, we find no evidence of effects being concentrated among specific socioeconomic groups.

Commuting comes with costs, in terms of money, the opportunity cost of time, emotional burdens, and danger. Yet Americans take on considerably longer commutes than are strictly necessary. This suggests that longer commutes must have benefits, or that many people who take on long commutes are not maximizing their utility. This research seeks evidence for compensation for longer-duration commuting. It finds four possible sources. First, longer commutes are associated with higher wages. Second, longer commutes are associated with higher rates of homeownership, possibly in part because they facilitate suburban living. Third, long commutes may benefit spouses, since marriage is associated with longer commutes, although there is no association between commute duration and the presence of children in the household. Fourth, spouses of those with longer commutes are less likely to work, which appears to be due in part to higher wages for the worker. However, there is no evidence that a longer commute is associated with higher wages for the commuter’s spouse when the spouse works. Longer commute trips are not associated with poorer mood during the trip, but also are not associated with more emotionally fulfilling work. Finally, commute duration is not associated with life satisfaction, perhaps because the net benefits and costs of commutes are roughly equal across varying commute durations, or because the burdens and benefits of the commute are not strong enough to impact as broad a construct as life satisfaction. The absence of an association between well-being and commute duration suggests that people are doing a reasonable job of maximizing their utility when selecting home and work locations.

The association between physical activity and health is well documented, yet prior research has largely ignored the context of physical activity, including its specific type and the emotions experienced while engaged in that activity. This study used interview-based time diary data on 24,016 individuals who participated in the American Time Use Survey well-being modules in 2010, 2012, and 2013 to examine the associations between sedentary and moderately vigorous activities and self-reported health, and the extent to which momentary well-being modifies that association. Respondents who engaged in housework, leisure, or play with children reported better health whereas those who engaged in sedentary activity reported worse self-rated health. Respondents who spent more time in housework reported better health, but this was not the case for leisure or playing with children. Greater positive mood and fewer somatic symptoms while engaged in activity were associated with better self-rated health, with more consistent associations for symptoms than mood. Respondent reports of momentary well-being did not explain the link between activities and perceived or actual health. Keywords

Population aging is a marker of our success in both extending longevity and planning our reproduction. The demographic changes that result in the aging of the population also contribute to family change in aging societies. At the same time, changes in demographic behaviors, such as marriage and childbearing, have transformed the intergenerational structure of society. Each of these phenomena also has contributed to an increasing diversity of family forms, raising questions about societal and individual responsibility for well-being in old age. Countries vary in their approaches to social welfare, but even in the most generous ones, families remain the most tenacious and preferred sources . . .

This article investigates whether homeownership provides psychological benefits, particularly as mediated through the act of working on the dwelling. It examines whether work on the home potentially increases subjective well-being (SWB) for home occupants because such work improves the dwelling or because the work is fulfilling and promotes feelings of mastery and control. It also investigates whether homeowners are more likely to perform such work compared with renters. The article finds that homeownership is associated with somewhat elevated life satisfaction, but that homeowners tend to experience less intense positive affect than renters. Homeowners spend much more time working on the home than renters. Strong links between work on the home and life satisfaction are not found, but certain types of home work activities—such as interior or exterior decoration and repairs and yard work—tend to be experienced as psychologically meaningful. Gender also plays a role in the division of home labor and the psychological costs and benefits of homeownership and work on the home. Women are much more likely than men to clean the interiors of dwellings, an activity associated with poor affect. Men perform more of most of the other types of work on the home; in homeowning households these burdens tend to balance each other out, but in renting households there tends to be a dramatic disparity in terms of work on the home, raising concerns about gender inequity.

The nonprofit Urban Institute is a leading research organization dedicated to developing evidence-based insights that improve people's lives and strengthen communities. For 50 years, Urban has been the trusted source for rigorous analysis of complex social and economic issues; strategic advice to policymakers, philanthropists, and practitioners; and new, promising ideas that expand opportunities for all. Our work inspires effective decisions that advance fairness and enhance the well-being of people and places.

Improving the well-being of young children is one of the most important investments a community can make. Infancy and toddlerhood are periods of rapid physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. During these years, children need nurturing care and appropriate stimulation from their family and friends, as well as community-, state-, and national-level programs and services to ensure positive present and future outcomes. Conversely, we know that negative early experiences (such as poverty), insufficient nurturing and stimulation, poor access to health care, and a lack of other important family supports can have lasting harmful impacts. Philadelphia has taken bold steps that acknowledge the importance of children’s earliest years to ensure a positive future for the city. New initiatives, led by both municipal government and the private, nonprofit sector, are elevating Philadelphia’s profile as a leader in lifting young children to the top of the civic agenda. Through these initiatives, leaders are working to foster crosssector collaboration to improve the long-term outcomes for young children. At the same time, the city and its residents continue to face stiff challenges. This is a time of transition for Philadelphia in many respects, as the city is experiencing changes in demographics, economic growth, housing patterns, and access to education. Philadelphia is simultaneously becoming a richer and poorer city. While poverty and deep poverty continue unabated, Philadelphia is experiencing residential growth (The Pew Charitable Trusts, 2017a)...

This dissertation explores the role of health and healthcare delivery for the well-being of individuals in retirement. The summary section provides an introduction to the themes explored throughout this dissertation. Chapters 1 and 2 consider public policies regarding long-term care delivery methods. The final chapter, chapter 3, explores how employer-provided retirement benefits and health interact to influence the retirement behavior and impact the well-being of the older population. This dissertation explores two important decisions facing older individuals- long-term care choices and retirement decisions. The findings in this dissertation are relevant to understanding the role of health status and public healthcare programs in well-being of the elderly. These will also help inform policy decisions regarding public provision of long-term services and design of policies incentivizing later retirement.

Taking into account the well-being losses or gains that each gender-race/ethnicity group has associated with its occupational sorting, this paper explores the social welfare loss that each U.S. large region experiences due to the different circumstances faced by these groups in each regional labor market. To analyze the period 1980–2012 in those terms, we use novel measures that aggregate the well-being losses or gains of the groups consistently with the literature on deprivation. To take into account that disparities among regions may arise from differences in characteristics, this papers uses a propensity score procedure that allows controlling for gender and racial/ethnic composition, immigration profile, educational level, and industrial structure.

Sustainability requires reducing the carbon intensity of human well-being (CIWB): the level of anthropogenic carbon emissions per unit of human well-being. Here, we examine how multiple forms of inequality affect sex-specific measures of CIWB using data for the 50 US states, while taking into account the effects of other socio-economic and political factors. Results from longitudinal models indicate that state-level female CIWB and male CIWB are both positively associated with (1) income concentration, measured as the income share of the top 10%, and (2) the percent of the population at or below the poverty line. Overall inequality, as measured by the Gini coefficient, has no net effect on male CIWB or female CIWB. These findings suggest that reducing forms of inequality, especially poverty and the concentration of income among the most affluent, are potential pathways to sustainability.

Over the last 20 years, policymaking related to immigrant populations has increasingly been conducted at the state-level. State immigrant polices may influence immigrant poverty by determining immigrants’ level of access to social, economic, political, and health resources and by shaping the social environment. Further, these immigrant policies may shape the stratification between citizens and noncitizens, potentially contributing to distinct patterns of disparities in poverty by both citizenship and race/ethnicity. To assess the relationship between immigrant policy and socioeconomic stratification of immigrants across citizenship status and race/ethnicity in the U.S., we combined data from the 2014 American Community Survey and a measure of level of inclusion of state immigrant policies. We estimated fixed-effects logistic regressions to test the associations between poverty and the interaction of level of inclusiveness, citizenship, and race/ethnicity, controlling for state- and individual-level characteristics. Results showed that there are significant disparities in poverty by citizenship status and race/ethnicity. Asian/Pacific Islander (API) noncitizens experienced lower levels of poverty in states with higher levels of inclusion. Both Latino and API citizens experienced lower levels of poverty in states with higher versus lower levels of inclusion. Among Latinos, the gap in poverty rates between noncitizens and citizens is larger in more inclusive than less inclusive ones, suggesting that the potential positive impact of more inclusive environments does not necessarily translate to the most vulnerable Latino group. The level of inclusion was not associated with differences among Whites and Blacks. Findings suggest that states with more inclusive immigrant policies may foster environments that advance the economic well-being of API noncitizens, as well as API and Latino citizens.

This paper examines inequality in both leisure and consumption over the past four decades using time use surveys stretching from 1975 to 2016. We show that individual and family characteristics, especially when including work hours, explain most of the long run variation in leisure. We then use these characteristics to predict the distribution of leisure in the Consumer Expenditure Survey, a survey that also provides detailed information on consumption. The advantage of this approach is that it gives us measures of consumption and leisure at the family level within a single data source. We find that leisure time is highest for families at the bottom of the consumption distribution, and typically declines monotonically as consumption rises. However, the consumption-leisure gradient is small. We find noticeable differences across family types, with the gradient being largest for single parent families and single individuals and smallest for families with a head age 65 or older. Overall, these results indicate that including both leisure and consumption, as opposed to just consumption, in a measure of economic well-being will result in less inequality. However, because the consumption-leisure gradient is not very steep, the dampening effect of leisure on overall inequality is small.

Employment is a critically important means by which midlife and older people generate well-being, both pre- and post-retirement. Understanding features of Boston’s older workforce and the challenges experienced by older people in seeking and retaining employment is an important step toward promoting employment opportunities that will strengthen economic security. Moreover, because midlife and older people make up a large share of the paid labor force in Boston, knowledge developed about these issues may help to ensure that this segment of the population is retained as productive members of the workforce. This paper was produced in support of the Action Plan developed for Age-Friendly Boston, an initiative established in 2014 by Boston’s Mayor Martin J. Walsh through the Commission on Affairs of the Elderly. A needs assessment conducted for the Age-Friendly Boston Initiative revealed that many Boston residents think that more job opportunities are needed for older people, and they perceive barriers to finding and retaining employment in later life. The research outlined in this paper was developed based on review of the literature, demographic analysis of existing data on older Boston residents, and interviews with key informants knowledgeable about the Boston employment landscape, including older jobseekers themselves. The paper is intended to inform efforts taken by the City and others to improve Boston’s employment landscape for older residents. Demographic findings suggest that eight out . . .

Adolescents spend most of their time interacting with people, and family, social, and community interactions play a prominent role in long-run adolescent development. However, little is known about how adolescents feel as they interact with others. This study identifies the immediate emotional response of adolescents as they spend time with parents, siblings, extended family members, friends, mentors, and other adults in their community. Relying on nationally representative data from the American Time Use Survey from 2003-2016, we find that adolescents in non-nuclear families particularly benefit from spending time with older siblings and nonresident parents. In addition, spending time with mentors and adult acquaintances improves well-being for some but not all adolescents, suggesting a need for care when designing policies aimed at adolescent involvement in communities.

The nonprofit Urban Institute is a leading research organization dedicated to developing evidence-based insights that improve people's lives and strengthen communities. For 50 years, Urban has been the trusted source for rigorous analysis of complex social and economic issues; strategic advice to policymakers, philanthropists, and practitioners; and new, promising ideas that expand opportunities for all. Our work inspires effective decisions that advance fairness and enhance the well-being of people and places.

For nearly 20 years, the U.S. Census has allowed respondents to report multiple races, offering new opportunities to assess the well-being of multiracial groups. Multiple-race reporting provides much-needed nuance for assessing the racial stratification of social outcomes as the distinctions between racial groups is less clear. Here, I explore the promises and the pitfalls of working with multiple-race data in studies of race inequality. I begin with a discussion of prior work using multiple-race data, showing how they inform our understanding of race-based patterns, and also consider issues raised by the conceptual and methodological fuzziness inherent in using multiple-race responses. I then provide a brief picture of current racial differences in adult poverty rates for single- and multiplerace groups, revealing that some multiracial groups experience parity with single-race groups while others occupy a space in between. While these patterns are meaningful, multiple interpretations are possible given the nature of multiple-race data.

The rising share of women in college with dependent children and growing emphasis on two‐generation policies for reducing socioeconomic inequality have galvanized research aimed at determining whether mothers' increased education can improve their and their children's well‐being. Yet as part of this effort, scholars have overlooked signs that mothers' college enrollment may not be unequivocally good for families. This research brief aims to bring greater attention to this side of the story. The authors analyze time diary (2003–2015) and well‐being data (2010, 2011, 2013) from the American Time Use Survey. The authors find that mothers in college experience a time squeeze that limits their time in caregiving, self‐care, and work, on one hand, and school‐related activities, on the other. This time squeeze may explain why mothers enrolled in college (compared with mothers who were not in school) also reported less happiness and more fatigue during activities with their children.