Initiative on Cities Working Paper Series
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Item School closures significantly reduced arrests of Black and Latinx urban youth(2022-10) Simes, Jessica; Cowger, Tori; Jahn, JaquelynPolice arrests are common events for youth of color, contributing to increased risk of arrest in adulthood and population health inequities. Although schools are important sites for youth criminalization, research focuses on within-school mechanisms, with limited analysis of hot spots policing in surrounding school areas. Using COVID-19 school closures as an interruption to police activity and in-person school attendance, we estimate Black youth weekly arrests fell from 43.6 to 16.8 per 100,000, vs. 3.57 to 2.17 per 100,000 among White youth. Youth arrest rates declined during two school closure periods: at the start of the pandemic and Summer 2019. A spatial analysis shows Black and Latinx youth experience a higher percentage of arrests near schools than White youth. Our findings show school closures significantly reduce arrests of urban youth of color, and reforms addressing youth criminalization and structural racism should consider the joint spatial context of schools and policing.Item Racial disparities in neighborhood arrest rates during the COVID-19 pandemic(Boston University Initiative on Cities Working Paper Series, 2021-07) Jahn, Jaquelyn; Simes, Jessica; Cowger, Tori; Davis, BrigetteSystemic racism in police contact is an important driver of health inequities among the U.S. urban population. Hyper-policing and police violence in marginalized communities have risen to the top of the national policy agenda, particularly since protests in 2020. How did pandemic conditions impact policing? We assess neighborhood racial disparities in arrests after COVID-19 stay-at-home orders in Boston, Charleston, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco census tracts (January 2019-August 2020). Using interrupted time series models with census tract fixed effects, we report arrest rates across tract racial and ethnic compositions. In the week following stay orders, overall arrest rates were 66% (95% CI: 51-77%) lower on average. Although arrest rates steadily increased thereafter, most tracts did not reach pre-pandemic arrest levels. However, despite declines in nearly all census tracts, the magnitude of racial inequities in arrests remained unchanged. During the initial weeks of the pandemic, arrest rates declined significantly in areas with higher Black populations, but absolute rates in Black neighborhoods remain higher than pre-pandemic arrest rates in White neighborhoods. These findings support urban policy reforms that reconsider police capacity and presence, particularly as a mechanism for enforcing public health ordinances and reducing racial disparities.Item Mayors and social inequalitiesChristodoulaki, IoannaSocial mobility has long been an ideal cherished in the United States even if not always achieved in practice. Contemporary studies suggest social mobility is lower in the US than in a significant number of other countries. Notwithstanding the belief that with enough effort, any American can succeed, empirical studies show that socio-economic background determines lifetime prospects. This working paper examines obstacles to social mobility in cities.Item What makes Boston a "Global" city?(Boston University Initiative on Cities Working Paper Series, 2021-12) O'Connell, JamesSince the 1980s, globalization has generated a network of key cities that organize and manage global markets. The leading activity of global capitalism has become the financial and advanced professional services that manage the evolving knowledge economy. Numerous public and private entities have been publishing studies that analyze the characteristics of global cities and rank them against the competition. Boston ranks relatively high in many global city ranking studies. Although it is not in the top tier of cities managing the capitalist economy, cities like New York, London, and Tokyo, it is a leader in technological and life sciences innovation, building upon its world-class universities and research institutions and its long-established financial sector. Global cities benchmark reports also indicate performance related to social equity. In this regard, Boston ranks high in economic inequality, indicating the need for policy solutions related to this issue.