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Working Paper
Black Mayors and Crime
Local elections are often contested on the grounds of public safety, but do elected officials have any power to curb crime? Black mayors have particular interest in the issue because Black communities are victimized by high levels of crime and fragile police community relations. Using data on elections of first-time Black mayors, I find that police forces add more Black officers, a finding that is especially true for mayors with executive authority. Officers arrest 48 fewer potential Black offenders per 10,000 Black residents for crimes where they have the ability to exercise discretion, a ...
Working Paper
Black Mayors and Black Communities
Do Black communities economically benefit from the election of a Black mayor? I find majority-Black ZIP codes experience gains in all areas of economic activity relative to non-Black communities following the first election of a Black mayor. Across industries, the number of establishments in majority-Black ZIP codes increases, including those that rely on foot traffic. Before breakthrough elections, Black residents are less likely than white residents to identify as self-employed across all cities, but this difference is reduced after an election; however, the cities in which the ...
Journal Article
Safety in Schools and Neighborhoods
Exposure to violent crime in childhood has potential long-run effects on students’ future earnings and hours worked. However, in the neighborhoods of students’ homes and schools where crime occurs, there are other factors at play working against students. This Economic Commentary discusses how violent crime and additional factors related to education potentially affect educational progress and, by extension, future labor force attachment. In school neighborhoods and residential neighborhoods where a lot of violent crime takes place, school administrators and students report a need for ...