Mobility...

Moving to a new neighborhood is all part of the American Experience. While there are some, I believe  very few by comparison, that are born, live, and die in the same neighborhood; most of us experience change in this way. Depending on the situation many of us choose a new neighborhood based on the economic factors happening in our lives at the time. Upward mobility allows one to choose a nicer or better neighborhood meeting our needs as income allows. Many have fallen on hard times during the last recession and found themselves in a downward mobility trajectory. Unfortunately there are those born into poverty that never are able to break out of the cycle and remain unable to experience upward mobility. Income, education, and employment opportunities often dictate this mobility. A young couple marries, begins a life and starts out in a small apartment. Perhaps they are finishing school or starting a new job. Some time goes by and as their situation changes they make the decision to move to a different place. After graduating school or advancing in a careers; this give rise to more income and more available choices for neighborhood selection. 

I found the reading interesting in that African Americans experience this mobility differently. Upward mobility within the black community still leaves the neighborhoods they exited the same as they left it. In most cases the vacancy is filled by another African American. The area they move to is more likely to be another, perhaps better situation, black neighborhood. Whites and Hispanics statistically do not have the same types of issues.  I was left thinking that without diversity something by way of upward mobility is lost, even if collective efficacy is gained. 

While reading I also found a few sites that were interesting:

• https://www.russellsage.org/sites/all/files/Duncan_Murnane_Chap1.pdf
• http://www.pewtrusts.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Reports/Economic_Mobility/PEW_SHARKEY_v12.pdf
• http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/Children/ChildMobility/9%20Sampson.ashx

I believe that making a difference comes down to more than one individual for change in the neighborhood setting. If collective efficacy is high than losing a member may not be felt as much as if collective efficacy is low and the best of the neighborhood leaves. While there are some examples of extraordinary people; it takes the collective of all to really make a difference. This is shown in many of Sampson's example throughout the book. Transformation for the good takes work, transformation for the bad just requires neglect. 

Looking at the information I found it easy to find parallels matching my psychology emphasis but had more difficulty tying information to my business emphases. the best way to look at mobility is to look at the economic factors and reasons people move to tie to business.