Historical Legacies and Civic Inequality in Urban America

• In Event: Limits on Urban Inclusiveness: Representation and Historical Inequalities

Abstract

This paper investigates why civic opportunities are uneven in the United States and argues that this is due to historical legacies, particularly discriminatory housing policies during the New Deal Era known as redlining. The study analyzed 1.8 million tax records and related digital trace data from nonprofit organizations combined with the census-tract level historical redlining scores and demographic data. The analysis of over 13,000 census tracts shows that those graded undesirable by the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) offer fewer civic opportunities than desirable areas. Religious, community, political, and economic organizations are more likely to offer civic opportunities in HOLC low-graded areas than in high-graded areas. This study deepens our understanding of the relationship between American political development, public policy, racial and ethnic politics, urban and local politics, and civic engagement.

Authors

• Jae Yeon Kim, Johns Hopkins University

• Hahrie C. Han, Johns Hopkins University