Aqui No Hay Oportunidades: Latino Segregation and the Keys to Political Participation

Politics and Policy

Volumn 40, Issue 2, 2012, Pages 258-295

  Pearson Merkowitz, Shanna ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND   (United States)

Author keywords

Citizenship; Democracy; Ethnicity; Latino segregation; Political participation; Politics and language; Race; Socioeconomic status; Spanish speaking; United states; Voting behavior

Indexed keywords

EID: 84859757834     PISSN: 15555623     EISSN: 17471346     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-1346.2012.00349.x     Document Type: Article

References (120)

1. Aguilera, Michael Bernabe. 2002. "The Impact of Social Capital on Labor Force Participation: Evidence from the 2000 Social Capital Benchmark Survey. Social Science Quarterly 83 (3): 853-874. Accessed on January 12, 2012. Available online at
2. Alba, Richard, John Logal, and Brian Stults 2000. "The Changing Neighborhood Contexts of the Immigrant Metropolis. Social Forces 79 (2): 587-621. Accessed on January 12, 2012. Available online at
3. Balfanz, Robert, and Nettie Legters 2004. "Locating the Dropout Crisis: Which High Schools Produce the Nation's Dropouts." In Dropouts in America: Confronting the Graduation Rate Crisis, edited by Gary Orefield Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 57-84.
4. Barreto, Matt. 2007. "Sí se puede! Latino Candidates and the Mobilization of Latino Voters. American Political Science Review 101 (3): 425-441. Accessed on January 12, 2012. Available online at
5. Barreto, Matt, and Stephen Nuño 2011. "The Effectiveness of Co-Ethnic Contact on Latino Political Recruitment. Political Research Quarterly 64 (5): 448-459. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
6. Berelson, Bernard R., Paul F. Lazarsfeld, and William N. McPhee 1954. Voting: A Study of Opinion Formation in a Presidential Campaign. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
7. Boger, John C., and Gary Orfield 2005. School Resegregation: Must the South Turn Back? Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.
8. Boozer, Michael, and Cecilia Rouse 2001. "Intraschool Variation in Class Size: Patterns and Implications. Journal of Urban Economics 50 (1): 163-189. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
9. Braddock, Jomills H., and Amarillys Gonzalez 2010. "Social Isolation and Social Cohesion: The Effects of K-12 Neighborhood and School Segregation on Intergroup Orientations. Teachers College Record 112 (6): 1631-1653.
10. Brown, Susan K. 2007. "Delayed Spatial Assimilation: Multigenerational Incorporation of the Mexican-Origin Population in Los Angeles. City and Community 6 (3): 193-209. Accessed January 13, 2012. Available online at
11. Calhoun-Brown, Alison. 1996. "African American Churches and Political Mobilization: The Psychological Impact of Organizational Resources. Journal of Politics 58 (4): 935-953. Accessed January 13, 2012. Available online at
12. Campbell, Angus, Philip. E. Converse, Warren E. Miller, and Donald E. Stokes 1960. The American Voter. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
13. Campbell, David. 2008. Why We Vote: How Schools and Communities Shape Our Civic Life. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
14. Carr, James H., and Nandinee K. Kutty 2008. Segregation: The Rising Costs for America. New York: Routledge.
15. Catanzarite, Lisa. 2000. "Brown-Collar Jobs: 'Occupational Segregation and Earnings of Recent-Immigrant Latinos.'" Sociological Perspectives 43 (1): 45-75.
16. Catanzarite, Lisa, and Michael Bernabé Aguilera 2002. "Working with Co-Ethnics: Earnings Penalties for Latino Immigrants at Latino Jobsites. Social Problems 49 (1): 101-127. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
17. Charles, Camille Zubrinsky. 2003. "The Dynamics of Racial Residential Segregation. Annual Review of Sociology 29 (1): 167-207. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
18. Charles, Camille Zubrinksy, Gniesha Dinwiddie, and Douglas S. Massey 2004. "The Continuing Consequences of Segregation: Family Stress and College Academic Performance. Social Science Quarterly 85 (5): 1353-1373. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
19. Clark-Ibanez, Marisol, and Diane Felmlee 2004. "Interethnic Relationships: The Role of Social Network Diversity. Journal of Marriage and Family 66 (2): 293-305. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
20. Covington, Kenya. 2009. "Spatial Mismatch of the Poor: An Explanation of Declines Job Isolation. Journal of Urban Affairs 31 (5): 559-587. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
21. Cutler, David M., and Edward L. Glaeser 1997. "Are Ghettos Good or Bad? Quarterly Journal of Economics 112 (3): 827-872. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
22. Desipio, Louis. 1996. "Making Citizens or Good Citizens? Naturalization as a Predictor of Organizational and Electoral Behavior among Latino Immigrants. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 18: 194-213. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
23. DiPrete, Thomas A., Andrew Gelman, Tyler McCormick, Julien Teitler, and Tian Zheng 2011. "Segregation in Social Networks Based on Acquaintanceship and Trust. American Journal of Sociology 116 (4): 1234-1283. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
24. Downs, Anthony. 1957. An Economic Theory of Democracy. New York: Harper & Row.
25. Dreier, Peter, John Mollenkopf, and Todd Swanstrom 2001. Place Matters: Metropolitics for the Twenty-First Century. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas.
26. Espenshade, Thomas J., and Haishan Fu 1997. "An Analysis of English-Language Proficiency among U.S. Immigrants. American Sociological Review 62 (2): 288-305. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
27. Fairlie, Robert W. 2004. "Race and the Digital Divide. Contributions to Economic Analysis and Policy 3 (1): 1-38. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
28. Fix, Michael, Margie McHugh, Aaron Matteo Terrazas, and Laureen Laglagaron 2008. Los Angeles on the Leading Edge: Immigrant Integration Indicators and Their Policy Implications. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute.
29. Foley, Michael W., and Dean R. Hoge 2007. Religion and the New Immigrants: How Faith Communities Form Our Newest Citizens. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
30. Galster, George C. 1987. "Residential Segregation and Interracial Economic Disparities. Journal of Urban Economics 21 (1): 122-144. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
31. Galster, George C., and W. Mark Keeney 1988. "Race, Residence, Discrimination and Economic Opportunity. Urban Affairs Quarterly 24 (1): 87-117. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
32. Garcia, John A. 1981. "The Political Integration of Mexican Immigrants: Explorations into the Naturalization Process. International Migration Review 15 (4): 608-625. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
33. Garcia-Bedolla, Lisa. 2005. "Resources and Civic Engagement: The Importance of Social Capital for Latino Political Incorporation. Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy 17 (1): 41-54. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
34. Gimpel, James G., J. Celeste Lay, and Jason E. Schuknecht 2003. Cultivating Democracy. Washington, DC: Brookings Institute Press.
35. Goldsmith, Pat. 2003. "All Segregation Is Not Equal: The Impact of Latino and Black School Composition. Sociological Perspectives 46 (1): 83-105. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
36. Goldsmith, Pat. 2009. "Schools or Neighborhoods or Both? Race and Ethnic Segregation and Educational Attainment. Social Forces 87 (4): 1913-1942. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
37. Grebler, Leo. 1966. Mexican Immigration to the United States: The Record and Its Implications. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.
38. Hanmer, Michael J., and K. Ozan Kalkan 2011. "Behind the Curve: Clarifying the Best Approach to Calculating Predicted Probabilities and Marginal Effects from Limited Dependent Variable Models." Working Paper. College Park, MD: University of Maryland.
39. Hardy-Fanta, Carol. 1993. Latina Politics/Latino Politics: Gender, Culture, and Political Participation in Boston. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
40. Hartman, Charles, and Gregory Squires 2010. The Integration Debate: Competing Futures for American Cities. New York: Routledge.
41. Huckfeldt, Robert. 2001. "The Social Communication of Political Expertise. American Journal of Political Science 45 (2): 425-438. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
42. Huckfeldt, R. Robert, and John Sprague 1995. Citizens, Politics, and Social Communication. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
43. Iceland, John, and Kyle Anne Nelson 2008. "Hispanic Segregation in Metropolitan America: Exploring the Multiple Forms of Spatial Assimilation. American Sociological Review 73 (5): 741-765. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
44. Iceland, John, and Melissa Scopilliti 2008. "Immigrant Residential Segregation in U.S. Metropolitan Areas, 1990-2000. Demography 45 (1): 79-94. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
45. Iceland, John, Daniel H. Weinberg, and Erika Steinmetz 2002. "Racial and Ethnic Residential Segregation in the United States: 1980-2000." United States Census Bureau: Census 2000 Special Reports. Accessed on October 22, 2011. Available online at
46. Jackson, Robert A. 2003. "Differential Influences on Latino Electoral Participation. Political Behavior 25 (4): 339-366. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
47. Jencks, Christopher, and Susan Mayer 1990. "The Social Consequences of Growing Up in a Poor Neighborhood." In Inner-City Poverty in the United States, edited by Laurence E. Lynn and Michael G. H. McGeary Washington, DC: National Academy Press. 111-186.
48. Jones-Correa, Michael A. 1998. Between Two Nations: The Political Predicament of Latinos in New York City. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
49. Jones-Correa, Michael A. 2001. "Institutional and Contextual Factors in Immigrant Naturalization and Voting. Citizenship Studies 5 (1): 41-56. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
50. Kain, John D. 1968. "Housing Segregation, Negro Employment, and Metropolitan Decentralization. Quarterly Journal of Economics 82 (2): 175-197. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
51. Kao, Grace, and Marta Tienda 1995. "Optimism and Achievement: The Educational Performance of Immigrant Children. Social Science Quarterly 76 (1): 1-19. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
52. King, Gary, Michael, Tomz, and Jason Wittenberg. 2000. "Making the Most of Statistical Analyses: Improving Interpretation and Presentation. American Journal of Political Science 44 (2): 347-361.
53. Krasner, Michael, and Francois Pierre-Louis 2006. "Promoting Empowerment in Low Income, Minority, and New Immigrant Communities." Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. August 31-September 3.
54. LaVeist, Thomas, Roland Thorpe, Terra Bowen-Reid, John Jackson, Tiffany Gary, Darrell Gaskin, and Dorothy Browne 2008. "Exploring Health Disparities in Integrated Communities: Overview of the EHDIC Study. Journal of Urban Health 85 (1): 11-21. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
55. Leal, David. 2002. "Political Participation by Latino Non-Citizens in the United States. British Journal of Political Science 32 (2): 353-337. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
56. Leighley, Jan E. 2001. Strength in Numbers? The Political Mobilization of Racial and Ethnic Voters. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
57. Logan, John. 2001. "The New Ethnic Enclaves in America's Suburbs." A report by the Lewis Mumford Center for Comparative Urban and Regional Research. Accessed on October 22, 2011. Available online at
58. Logan, John. 2011. "Separate and Unequal: The Neighborhood Gap for Blacks, Hispanics and Asians in Metropolitan America." US2010 Project. Accessed on October 22, 2011. Available online at
59. Logan, John, Richard D. Alba, and Wenquan Zhang 2002. "Immigrant Enclaves and Ethnic Communities in New York and Los Angeles. American Sociological Review 67 (2): 299-322. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
60. Lopez, Mark Hugo. 2011. "The Latino Electorate in 2010: More Voters, More Non-Voters." Pew Hispanic Center (April 26). Accessed on October 22, 2011. Available online at
61. MacDonald, Heather. 2004. "A New Latino Underclass." Dallas Morning News. Accessed on October 22, 2011. Available online at
62. Marsden, Peter V. 1987. "Core Discussion Networks of Americans. American Sociological Review 52 (1): 122-131. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
63. Massey, Douglas. 1990. "American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass. American Journal of Sociology 96 (2): 329-357. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
64. Massey, Douglas S., and Nancy A. Denton. 1988. "The Dimensions of Residential Segregation. Social Forces 67 (2): 281-315.
65. Massey, Douglas, Jorge Durand, and Nolan J. Malone 2003. Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic Integration. New York: Russell Sage Foundation Publications.
66. Massey, Douglas, and Michell Eggers 1990. "The Ecology of Inequality: Minorities and the Concentration of Poverty, 1970-1980. American Journal of Sociology 95 (5): 1153-1188. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
67. Massey, Douglas, and Mary J. Fischer 2006. "The Effect of Childhood Segregation on Minority Academic Performance at Selective Colleges. Ethnic and Racial Studies 29 (1): 1-26. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
68. Massey, Douglas S., and Nancy A. Denton 1993. American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
69. McClurg, Scott D. 2003. "Social Networks and Political Participation: The Role of Social Interaction in Explaining Political Participation. Political Research Quarterly 56 (4): 448-465. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
70. McKenzie, Brian D. 2004. "Religious Social Networks, Indirect Mobilization, and African American Political Participation. Political Research Quarterly 57 (4): 621-632. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
71. McKoy, Deborah L., and Jeffrey M. Vincent 2008. "Housing and Education: The Inextricable Link." In Segregation: The Rising Costs for America, edited by James H. Carr and Nandinee K. Kutty New York: Routledge. 125-150.
72. McPherson, Miller, Lynn Smith-Lovin, and James M. Cook 2001. "Birds of a Feather: Homophily in Social Networks. Annual Review of Sociology 27 (1): 415-444. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
73. Mossberger, Karen, Caroline Tolbert, and Michele Gilbert 2006. "Race, Place, and Information Technology. Urban Affairs Review 41 (5): 583-620. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
74. Myrdal, Gunnar. 1944. An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem in Modern Democracy. New York: McGraw-Hill.
75. National Fair Housing Alliance. 2009. "2009 Fair Housing Trends Report: Fair Housing Enforcement: Time for a Change." Accessed on October 22, 2011. Available online at
76. Orfield, Gary, and Chungmei Lee 2005. "Why Segregation Matters: Poverty and Educational Inequality." The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University. Accessed on October 22, 2011. Available online at
77. Pantoja, Adrian. 2005. "Transnational Ties and Immigrant Political Incorporation: The Case of Dominicans in Washington Heights, New York. International Migration Review 43 (4): 123-146. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
78. Pantoja, Adrian D., and Sarah Allen Gershon 2006. "Political Orientations and Naturalization among Latino and Latina Immigrants. Social Science Quarterly 87 (5): 1171-1187. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
79. Parker, Suzanne L., Glenn R. Paker, and James A. McCann 2008. "Opinion Taking within Friendship Networks. American Journal of Political Science 52 (2): 412-420. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
80. Parkin, Michael, and Frances Zlotnick 2011. "English Proficiency and Latino Participation in U.S. Elections. Politics & Policy 39 (4): 515-537. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
81. Passel, Jeffrey. 2006. "The Size and Characteristics of the Unauthorized Migrant Population in the U.S." Pew Hispanic Center. Accessed on October 22, 2011. Available online at
82. Patillo-McCoy, Mary. 1999. Black Picket-Fences: Privilege and Peril among the Black Middle Class. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
83. Pearson-Merkowitz, Shanna. 2009. Out of Sight, Out of Mind. Doctoral dissertation. Digital Repository at the University of Maryland. Accessed on October 22, 2011. Available online at
84. Pew Hispanic Center. 2008. "Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2006." Pew Hispanic Center. Accessed on October 22, 2011. Available online at
85. Popkin, Susan J., Bruce Katz, Mary K. Cunningham, Karen D. Brown, Jeremy Gustafson, and Margery Austin Turner 2004. "A Decade of HOPE VI: Research Findings and Policy Challenges." The Urban Institute. Accessed on October 22, 2011. Available online at
86. Portes, Alejandro, and John W. Curtis 1987. "Changing Flags: Naturalization and Its Determinants among Mexican Immigrants. International Migration Review 21 (2): 352-371. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
87. Portes, Alejandro, Patricia Fernandez-Kelly, and William Haller 2005. "Segmented Assimilation on the Ground: The New Second Generation in Early Adulthood. Ethnic and Racial Studies 28 (6): 1000-1040. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
88. Portes, Alejandro, and Rafael Mozo 1985. "The Political Adaptation Process of Cubans and Other Ethnic Minorities in the United States: A Preliminary Analysis. International Migration Review 19 (1): 35-63. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
89. Portes, Alejandro, and Ruben G. Rumbaut 2001. Legacies: The Story of the Immigrant Second Generation. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
90. Putnam, Robert. 2000. Bowling Alone. New York: Simon & Schuster.
91. Ramakrishnan, S. Karthick, and Thomas J. Espenshade 2001. "Immigrant Incorporation and Political Participation in the United States. International Migration Review 35 (3): 870-890. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
92. Rocha, Rene, and Rodolfo Espino 2010. "Segregation, Immigration and Latino Participation in Ethnic Politics. American Politics Research 38 (4): 614-635. Accessed on January 19, 2012. Available online at
93. Rosenstone, Steven J., and John Mark Hansen 1993. Mobilization, Participation, and Democracy in America. New York: Macmillan.
94. Santiago, Anna M., and George C. Galster 1995. "Puerto Rican Segregation in the United States: Cause or Consequence of Economic Status?" Social Problems 42 (3): 361-389. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
95. Santiago, Anne M., and Margaret G. Wilder 1991. "Residential Segregation and Links to Minority Poverty: The Case of Latinos in the United States. Social Problems 38 (4): 492-515. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
96. Shaw, Daren, Rodolpho O. De La Garza, and Jongho Lee 2000. "Explaining Latino Turnout in 1996: A Three-State, Validated Survey Approach. American Journal of Political Science 44 (2): 338-346. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
97. South, Scott J., Kyle Crowder, and Erick Chavez 2005. "Migration and Spatial Assimilation among U.S. Latinos: Classical versus Segmented Trajectories. Demography 42 (3): 497-521. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
98. Squires, Gregory D., and Charis E. Kubrin 2006. Privileged Places: Race, Residence, and the Structure of Opportunity. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
99. Steinmetz, Erika, and John Iceland 2003. "The Effects of Using Newly-Defined Metropolitan Area Boundaries When Examining Residential Housing Patterns." U.S. Census Bureau Working Paper. Accessed January 13, 2012. Available online at
100. Suro, Roberto, and Sonya Tafoya 2004. "Dispersal and Concentration: Patterns of Latino Residential Settlement." Pew Hispanic Center. Accessed on October 22, 2011. Available online at
101. Sykes, Lori L. 2008. "Cashing in on the American Dream: Racial Differences in Housing Values 1970-2000. Housing, Theory and Society 25 (4): 254-274. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
102. Teixeira, Ruy A. 1992. The Disappearing American Voter. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
103. Timberlake, Jeffrey, and John Iceland 2007. "Change in Racial and Ethnic Residential Inequality in American Cities, 1970-2000. City and Community 6 (4): 335-365. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
104. Turner, Margery A. 2008. "Residential Segregation and Employment Inequality." In Segregation: The Rising Costs for America, edited by James H. Carr and Nandinee K. Kutty New York: Routledge. 151-196.
105. Turner, Margery Austin, Stephen L. Ross, George Galster, and John Yinger 2002. "Discrimination in Metropolitan Housing Markets." The Urban Institute. Accessed on October 22, 2011. Available online at
106. U.S. Census Bureau. 2005. "19 Measures of Residential Housing Patterns." U.S. Census Bureau Housing Patterns. Accessed on October 22, 2011. Available online at
107. Verba, Sidney, Nancy Burns, and Kay Lehman Schlozman 2003. "Unequal at the Starting Line: Creating Participatory Inequalities across Generations and among Groups. American Sociologist 34 (1-2): 45-69.
108. Verba, Sidney, Kay Lehman Schlozman, Henry Brady, and Norman H. Nie 1993. "Race, Ethnicity and Political Resources: Participation in the United States. British Journal of Political Science 23 (4): 453-497. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
109. Verba, Sidney, Kay Lehman Schlozman, and Henry E. Brady 1995. Voice and Equality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
110. Verba, Sidney, and Norman Nie 1972. Participation in America. New York: HarperCollins.
111. Wahl, Ana-Maria Gonzalez, R. Saylor Breckenridge, and Steven E. Gunkel 2007. "Latinos, Residential Segregation and Spatial Assimilation in Micropolitan Areas: Exploring the American Dilemma on a New Frontier. Social Science Research 36 (3): 995-1020. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
112. Waldinger, Roger. 2001. Strangers at the Gates: New Immigrants in Urban America. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
113. Walsh, Katherine Cramer. 2004. Talking About Politics: Informal Groups and Social Identity in American Life. Chicago, IL: University Press of Chicago.
114. Welch, Susan, Lee Sigelman, Timothy Bledsoe, and Michael Combs 2002. Race and Place: Residence and Race Relations in an American City. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
115. Wilkes, Rima, and John Iceland 2004. "Hypersegregation in the Twenty-First Century: An Update and Analysis. Demography 41 (1): 23-36. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
116. Wilson, William Julius. 1997. When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor. New York: Knopf.
117. Witte, Griff, and Nell Henderson 2004. "Wealth Gap Widens for Blacks, Hispanics." The Washington Post. Accessed on October 22, 2011. Available online at
118. Wolfinger, Raymond E., and Steven J. Rosenstone 1980. Who Votes? New Haven, NJ: Yale University Press.
119. Yang, Philip Q. 1994. "Explaining Immigrant Naturalization. International Migration Review 28 (3): 449-477. Accessed on January 13, 2012. Available online at
120. Zaller, John. 1992. The Nature and Origin of Mass Opinion. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.