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Article Summary
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Leonhardt, D., Cox, A., & Miller, C. C. (2015). An atlas of upward mobility shows paths out of
poverty. New York Times.
Introduction
On May 4th, 2015, the author published a story, "An Atlas of Upward Mobility Shows

Paths Out of Poverty," with various issues pertaining to economics. Several geographical

locations in the country are discussed in the article relative to upward mobility. In order to obtain

a higher standard of living, individuals or families may move up from a lower income level. The

article discusses a study that shows income was correlated with childhood location. By this, I

mean the earlier a child moves out, the higher the income. The move to a better neighborhood

opens up better opportunities and gives the kids greater access to resources they would not

otherwise have.

Main Idea

Among the key ideas of the article are those from a study known as 'Moving to

Opportunity.' Congress commissioned the study because it sought to understand how a

neighborhood might affect family upward mobility rates. A random drawing was conducted to

distribute vouchers for moving to better communities to low-income families. In these families,

the move had little to no effect on the income of adults. Newer studies have revealed that a

child's location when they are growing up can influence their chances of avoiding poverty.

The Authors’ Point of View and Issue at Hand

Essentially Leonhardt, Cox, & Miller (2015) are addressing how your hometown affects

your life, namely that the younger you are when you move, the higher the chances are that your

new surroundings will have long-term effects on you. In light of the evidence found in a variety

of sources as well as the article’s title, moving from poor neighborhoods at an early age may

decrease the chances of poverty for an individual, according to writers of different backgrounds.
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They use the new study data, examples of families with similar situations, as well as new

information from the original experiment to verify their opinion. In the article, they use this data

as the main point of evidence in support of their primary purpose because it shows how much

income will be affected by where people live. Additionally, they talked about two families that

moved from substandard neighborhoods and described what made them better off. Among the

positive outcomes were not having any bad experiences in the childhood years and being able to

graduate from high school or college for older kids.

Opinion. It is right that childhood income is associated with where children grow up. The

data back up this claim. Another article by Aisch (2015) states that the average income for a

child born in Shannon County would be 35 percent less than that of a child born in Sioux

County.

Conclusion

The authors of this article describe a Moving to Opportunity concept that occurred for the

past 20 years and the new data the experiment revealed. Vouchers were given to numerous

families for relocation. While the original trial came up empty, the new study overturns earlier

conclusions. In this article, the main point is to reveal that your location can have a significant

impact on your income in the future. The second study gives people a precise idea of how where

they live will affect their income. The articles and data in this experiment explain the effects of

moves on families, so it earns my support.

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References
Aisch, G., Buth, E., Block, M., Cox, A., & Quealy, K. (2015). The best and worst places to grow

up: How your area compares. The New York Times, 3. Retrieved from

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/05/03/upshot/the-best-and-worst-places-to-

grow-up-how-your-area-compares.html?

mtrref=undefined&gwh=FDA63E5D79CEB0CCE7C0B8716F78CAA2&gwt=pay&asset

Type=PAYWALL

Leonhardt, D., Cox, A., & Miller, C. C. (2015). An atlas of upward mobility shows paths out of

poverty. New York Times.