Unifying Micro-level and Macro-level Analyses of Segregation

Abstract

Casting segregation indices in the difference of means framework provides a valuable option previously not available to researchers. It enables them to seamlessly connect macro-level segregation – as measured by the index score for a city – to micro-level processes of residential attainment. At the simplest level the value of any index placed in the difference of means framework can be obtained by performing an individual-level attainment analysis that predicts index-relevant residential outcomes (y, scored from area group proportion p) for individuals with a dummy variable (0,1) for racial group membership. The regression coefficient for race will exactly equal the index score obtained by standard computing formulas. This introduces a new interpretation of segregation index scores; their values reflect the effect of race on the attainment of residential outcomes that determine the segregation index score for the city.