Metropolitan inequities and the ecology of work: Implications for welfare reform

Profound place-based disparities in opportunity structures and social and institutional resources affect labor market success, especially for the large numbers of welfare recipients who live in urban areas. This article argues that social and economic processes within metropolitan areas sort jobs and job seekers geographically and segment their networks, posing employment barriers for many welfare-reliant individuals. Cities and neighborhoods can be positive forces or impediments to achieving the employment goals of welfare reform, but without explicit policy intervention many individuals moving from welfare to work will be trapped in disadvantaged positions within urban labor markets.