A Regional Analysis of Discrimination Complaints in America

37 Pages Posted: 1 Aug 2011 Last revised: 24 Mar 2015

See all articles by Charles M. Lamb

Charles M. Lamb

State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo - Department of Political Science

Eric M. Wilk

Georgia Gwinnett College

Nicholas Seabrook

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: 2011

Abstract

Racial sensitivity pervades American society and politics. However, even though the entire nation is sensitive to racial issues, this may be especially true in the South, given its racial history. This paper formulates and tests a theory of racial sensitivity in civil rights enforcement. We compare favorable outcomes in race-based fair housing complaints by southern civil rights agencies to favorable outcomes in non-racial discrimination complaints in the South. We also explore regional differences in racial sensitivity by comparing favorable outcomes in the South in non-racial fair housing complaints to favorable outcomes in those complaints by non-southern civil rights agencies and by HUD. We conclude that southern civil rights agencies decide racial discrimination claims more favorably than other types of fair housing claims primarily because of racial sensitivity.

Keywords: fair housing, civil rights

Suggested Citation

Lamb, Charles M. and Wilk, Eric M. and Seabrook, Nicholas, A Regional Analysis of Discrimination Complaints in America (2011). APSA 2011 Annual Meeting Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1901372

Charles M. Lamb (Contact Author)

State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo - Department of Political Science ( email )

520 Park Hall
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY 14260
United States

Eric M. Wilk

Georgia Gwinnett College ( email )

1000 University Center Lane
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
United States

Nicholas Seabrook

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

No Address Available

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