THE IMPACT OF METROPOLITAN OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURE ON THE ECONOMIC-STATUS OF BLACKS AND HISPANICS IN NEWARK

In this paper, the utility of the opportunity structure model as a framework for explaining patterns of minority residence and concentrated poverty is assessed. The primary goals of the research are(1)to analyze the effects of economic restructuring and demographic transformations on minority poverty, (2)to assess the impact of these changes for central city and suburban minority populations, and(3)to examine the links between residential location and poverty. In order to test the propositions of the model, we utilize data for the Newark metropolitan area. Our findings underscore the continuing importance of racial and ethnic factors in determining the economic mobility of households. Regardless of residential location, blacks and Hispanics in Newark experience higher rates of economic distress. Continued segregation exacerbates their precarious status. The one factor most likely to adversely affect the economic status of minority households is the growth of single-parent households. The findings suggest that minority poverty is tied to a complex set of interactions between race, ethnicity, gender, occupational structure, and residential location. © 1991 by V. H. Winston & Son, Inc. All rights reserved.