read Paul Krugmans Stranded by Sprawl httpwwwnytimescom20130

read Paul Krugman\'s \"Stranded by Sprawl\" (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/29/opinion/krugman-stranded-by-sprawl.html)
. This short article covers a lot of ground. I am also asking you to look at Raj Chetty\'s \"In Climbing Income Ladder, Location Matters\" (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/business/in-climbing-income-ladder-location-matters.html?pagewanted=all) as a supplement. Please comment on the following:

1. Explain how city sprawl lead to worsening social mobility and income inequality? That is, what makes Atlanta (and the Southeast in general) have poor income mobility rates?

2. Next discuss some factors from economist Raj Chetty\'s work that significantly impact social mobility. Which factor do you feel is most important for social mobility.  

3. Lastly, go to interactive map and click on the county where you grew up. What income percentile will a child growing up with parents who earn at the bottom 10% likely end up earning? Now do the opposite: what income percentile will a child growing up with parents who earn at the top 10% likely have when they grow up? What determinants do you see that cause these results for the community in which you grew up?

Solution

ans 1=A study conducted in 2013 explored the notion of income mobility in the US & came up with few determinants that it claimed were common in regions where the poorest dwellers   strove to reach higher income clusters. Scholars ascertained that regions with more black inhabitants were likely to have restricted income mobility (greater than half of inhabitants in Atlanta are black), whereas cities with greater commute times are very likely to have poor upward mobility (Atlanta has high congestion & traffic). This research looked at the nation’s 50 largest cities & ascertained that Atlanta dwellers were close to the bottom with regard to the odds of shifting from the poorest income slot to the richest income bracket, whereas San Francisco was close to the top in the list.

ans2=

Factors like industrialization, urbanization, legislation etc affect social mobility.Social structure in a society impacts the social mobility. It is the most vital determinant.Societies across the globe can be divided into 2 categories— closed & open societies. Closed ones are caste- ridden & the status of an individual is defined by his being born in a certain caste.

Thus, in a society like that chances of mobility are low as such a society remains within the ties of caste & heredity. However, in an open one there are parity of opportunities that foster enhanced social mobility on account of the abilities & educational achievement of the populace.

ans3=In the lowest percentile a person will earn about $14,000 in Atlanta. In the uppermost percentile a person can expect to earn about $250 thousand