Recently, a range of countries have introduced laws prohibiting disadvantaged individuals from moving into public housing in specific areas, for example because they are unemployed or have too low an income, in an attempt to avoid the formation of ghettos and unwanted spatial disparities in the standards of living. This column studies one such law in the Netherlands and finds that it has not been effective in attracting households with higher income levels to targeted neighbourhoods. Moreover, it has had significant negative side effects due to the stigma attached to targeted neighbourhoods.
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