High rates of long-term unemployment can devastate local communities, as reduced lifetime income
prospects induce a variety of behavioral changes, and alter social networks. Wilson (1987) building
on Kain (1968), argued that a lack of available jobs close to where the disadvantaged unemployed
workers live, or “spatial mismatch,” contributes to long durations of joblessness, in part because
social networks become largely populated by other jobless workers. Persistent joblessness for men is
then linked to breakdowns in traditional family arrangements, increased use of public assistance, and