Jeremiah Cha, "Electing Minorities, Reshaping Housing: How Racial Representation Affects Urban Development"
Metropolitan areas in the United States are undergoing rapid diversification, significantly reshaping the demographics of local leadership. Using data on city council elections and the distribution of new housing permits, I identify the causal effect of electing a minority representative on the housing supply. The findings reveal that minority representation increases single-family housing construction at the expense of multi-family housing, challenging conventional expectations about race and policy attitudes. Qualitative interviews with city council members suggest that efforts to address minority underrepresentation drive active support for single-family housing, while distrust of developers—rooted in fears of gentrification—fuels skepticism toward multi-family projects. Overall, the study presents a nuanced view of racial representation: while minorities achieve better representational outcomes, these gains come at the cost of reduced housing supply.
The American Politics Research Workshop (Gov 3004) meets all academic year, Tuesdays, 12:00–2:00 PM, in CGIS K354. This workshop presents an opportunity for graduate students and Harvard faculty to present and receive feedback on their current research. The workshop highlights key theoretical and empirical findings from Harvard affiliates on topics related to American politics.
All interested Harvard affiliates are invited to attend.
LOCATION:CGIS South building, rom S050, or virtual via Zoom STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART:20250410T160000Z DTEND:20250410T170000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR