Highlighted Publications




 

This study asks whether court-appointed attorneys achieve different outcomes for low-income defendants based on whether they share the same race. Using administrative data on more than 17,000 misdemeanor cases in Travis County, Texas, the authors examine quasi-random attorney assignment to compare results for Black and White defendants. They find that Black defendants represented by White attorneys are 14–16 percent more likely to have their charges dismissed and 15–26 percen

This study asks why Black and Hispanic homeowners earn lower housing returns than White homeowners. The authors use nationwide administrative data linking race, home purchases, and later sale prices for more than 13 million ownership spells. They find that minority homeowners earn about 2.3 percentage points lower unlevered annual returns mainly because they face far higher rates of distressed sales, such as foreclosures and short sales. When a sale is distressed, homeowners

The study asks whether homeowners are more likely to move when a new next-door neighbor is of a different race. The authors use national housing transaction data matched with mortgage records, allowing them to observe both household race and the exact timing and location of moves. They compare move rates for homeowners who receive a different-race neighbor immediately next door versus two or three doors away on the same block. Both Black and White homeowners are more likely t

This study asks whether Black children in the United States are more likely than equally at-risk White children to be placed in foster care. Using data from over 23 million child maltreatment investigations in 45 states between 2008 and 2020, the researchers compare placement rates while accounting for each child’s risk of future maltreatment. They find that Black children are placed in foster care at significantly higher rates—about 1.2 percentage points more, or 21% higher—