Abstract: This paper develops and applies a novel framework to test whether landlords discriminate when filing eviction cases. Discrimination is measured by racial disparities in back rent owed at the time of filing, conditional on landlord and contract rent. Using rich administrative data from Philadelphia, I find that landlords discriminate by tolerating 4.9% less back rent from minorities before filing. To distinguish the sources of discrimination, I conduct a marginal outcome test and find evidence consistent with accurate statistical discrimination: landlords win cases at indistinguishable rates by tenant race, suggesting they accurately predict that successful minority cases require less back rent.
with Hsi-Ling Liao, Grace Ortuzar, and Stephen Stapleton
Abstract: Housing advocates, media outlets, and policymakers have long argued that a public eviction filing record—often referred to as the “Scarlet E”—carries significant consequences, particularly for low-income households. In this paper, we exploit variation induced by a record-sealing policy in Illinois to provide the first causal estimates of the effect of a public eviction filing on residential mobility, neighborhood quality, homelessness, and financial health. Two findings stand out: (i) sealing eviction records at the time of filing prevents tenant screening companies from accessing case information, whereas retroactive record sealing is ineffective in restricting public access; (ii) tenants with public eviction records are more likely to live doubled up with friends or family within the first year of the filing. Our results suggest that housing instability due to public eviction filings manifests primarily through households doubling up rather than through more extreme forms of homelessness.
Journal of Public Economics (2024)
with Nilesh Fernando, International Migration Review (2022)
with Jaimie Bleck, Journal of Modern African Studies (2020)
with Nilesh Fernando and Paul Shaloka