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Source: American Journal of Law and Equality
Resulting in 1 citation.
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Bar-Gill, Oren Kricheli-Katz, Tamar |
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Contract Duration and Discrimination American Journal of Law and Equality 3 (15 September 2023): 187–255. Also: https://doi.org/10.1162/ajle_a_00058 Cohort(s): NLSY97 Publisher: MIT Press Keyword(s): Home Ownership; Housing/Housing Characteristics/Types; Neighborhoods/Areas, Racially Diverse; Racial Equality/Inequality; Rental, Apartment/Home; Segregation, Residential Racial residential segregation is a crucial aspect of the persisting racial inequality in the United States. We reexamine this enduring problem from a novel perspective, exposing the relationship between segregation and contract duration. In the housing context, the main contract duration decision involves the choice between buying (long duration) and renting (short duration). And this choice can affect, and be affected by, the racial composition of a neighborhood. If, because of discriminatory misperceptions based on mistaken stereotypes or discriminatory preferences, moving into a racially diverse neighborhood is perceived by some white people to be a riskier or otherwise less preferred alternative, then (i) a white person moving into such a diverse neighborhood would be more likely to rent than buy and (ii) a white person who is intent on buying would be likely to choose a less-diverse, predominantly white neighborhood. To empirically explore the relationship between contract duration and segregation, we apply two methodological approaches: First, we analyze rich survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which cover 8,984 individuals who were surveyed annually over a period of seventeen years, including about their housing decisions. Second, we run online, incentivized trust-game experiments (N = 763 across all experiments) to study the relationship between duration choices and partner choices. Our findings suggest that short-duration, rental contracts may help reduce discriminatory outcomes. The shorter duration and the lower perceived risk of renting may encourage white residents to move into more-diverse neighborhoods. And renting in a more-diverse neighborhood may help dispel discriminatory misperceptions that are based on mistaken stereotypes or even eradicate discriminatory preferences, such that when the time comes to buy a house (long-duration contract), the search will include more-diverse neighborhoods. If short-duration, rental contracts can be more conducive to racial integration, this provides a reason to soften the strong policy preference for homeownership. We also briefly explore the relationship between contract duration and other contractual design choices beyond the housing context. |
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Bibliography Citation
Bar-Gill, Oren and Tamar Kricheli-Katz. "Contract Duration and Discrimination." American Journal of Law and Equality 3 (15 September 2023): 187–255. A.
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