Moving to Job Opportunities? The Effect of Ban the Box on the Composition of Cities Report uri icon

abstract

  • Jurisdictions across the United States have adopted ban the box (BTB) policies preventing employers from conducting criminal background checks until late in the job application process. Their primary goal is to increase employment for those with criminal records. If individuals with criminal records view these policies as improving their labor market opportunities, they might move to BTB-adopting places in search of employment. In this paper, we consider BTB's effects on the demographic composition of labor markets and the likelihood that residents report recently moving from other labor markets. We find no evidence that BTB affects migration.

altmetric score

  • 6.5

author list (cited authors)

  • Doleac, J. L., & Hansen, B.

citation count

  • 10

complete list of authors

  • Doleac, Jennifer L||Hansen, Benjamin

publication date

  • May 2017