Mapping the Spatial Dynamics of Vulnerability: Investigating Neighborhood Effects on Vulnerable Children and Youth in Denmark: A Danish National Register study from 1980-2020
Author(s): Michelle Fisker
Friday 16 | 11:00-11:20
Room: TP53
Session: Spatial Marking, Neighborhood Stigma, and Neighborhood Inequality
Social science has been focused on understanding the intricate relationship between neighborhood environments and the well-being of vulnerable children and youth. Several empirical studies have shown that the neighborhoods where children live, play, and attend school, particularly those characterized by deprivation, significantly influence their lives. In this context, research on neighborhood effects highlights the importance of considering the broader socio-spatial context in understanding how deprived neighborhoods impact children's development.
Building upon established theories of neighborhood effects, social disorganization, and the social-ecological model of human development the purpose of this article is to explore how neighborhoods affect vulnerable children and youth under the age of 18 who are placed in out-of-home care, or where the municipalities have received reports concerning the well-being and development of the child in the context of Denmark. Second, the article aims to show that different measures of neighborhoods, measured at different spatial scales, can show different spatial patterns of the distribution of vulnerable children and youth. Compared to other countries, geographical distances in Denmark are relatively small. Nevertheless, it can be assumed that the local area, in which children and young people grow up can affect their everyday life differently. This study compares administrative delineations in Denmark, such as postal codes and parishes, with micro-areas generated through an automated redistricting algorithm, segmented by physical barriers. The data sources used in this study are geo-referenced data and registers for the Danish population. The georeferenced data consists of the national square grid that divides Denmark into vectors of 100 by 100-meter cells and topographical maps that contain information about buildings, roads, rivers, railroads, and so on. The second set of data is a variety of Danish registers with two overall population types: first, a full population of children under the age of 18, and second the parents of the children in the study. The first population, with a focus on vulnerable children, contains information on out-of-home placement status, reason for out-of-home placement, prevention strategies, any reports from the municipality, as well as a range of demographic information. The second population, consisting of the parents, has yearly measured individual-level information about educational attainment, labor force affiliation, and income as well as gender, age, ethnicity, and other demographic characteristics.
The study is based on the hypothesis that after controlling for individual sociodemographic characteristics of the areas, socio-economically deprived neighborhoods will be associated with a higher probability of children being placed in out-of-home care and/or having received a report from the local authorities. By comparing administrative boundaries such as postal codes and parishes with micro-areas the expected result is to uncover nuanced insights into the spatial dynamics of vulnerability.