Research by Author & Topic

Publications by Margery Austin Turner on Other Data

The paper explores how shifts in both social welfare policies and economic conditions beginning in the mid-1990s altered the relative well-being of blacks— compared to whites—between 1997 and 2002. It uses the National Survey of America's Families (NSAF) to assess how the relative well-being of black families improved or disparities persisted. The findings suggest that some of the disparities between whites and blacks narrowed between 1997 and 2002, especially among people with low incomes. But gaps in income, child school outcomes, employment, assets, and welfare and other income supports, remained essentially unchanged over the period.

This report presents results from the second phase of the latest national Housing Discrimination Study (HDS2000). The national results presented here for Asians and Pacific Islanders are based on a sample of 11 metropolitan areas that account for more than three quarters of all Asians and Pacific Islanders living in metropolitan areas nationwide. The study finds that Asians and Pacific Islanders face significant levels of discrimination when they search for housing in large metropolitan areas nationwide—levels of discrimination similar to that of African Americans and Hispanics.

The nation is making real progress in combating housing market discrimination. New estimates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), based on Urban Institute research, indicate that while discrimination persists against African Americans and Hispanics searching for homes in major metropolitan areas, its incidence has generally declined since 1989. When African Americans and Hispanics visit real estate or rental offices to inquire about the availability of advertised homes and apartments, they face a significant risk of receiving less information and less favorable treatment than comparable white customers.

The authors take a hard look at mobility patterns and the factors that influence them, including public policies. They measure the trends and assess their implications, examine the dynamics of the barriers now constraining residential choice, and consider the policy alternatives.

The authors take a hard look at mobility patterns and the factors that influence them, including public policies. They measure the trends and assess their implications, examine the dynamics of the barriers now constraining residential choice, and consider the policy alternatives.

A hiring audit in two cities sent pairs of job seekers, matched in terms of job-readiness but not race, to apply for the same jobs. It found that black applicants were less likely to receive an interview than their white counterparts. If they got an interview, they were likely to have a shorter one and to encounter more negative remarks. They were more likely to be denied a job and more likely to be steered to less desirable jobs.

A hiring audit in two cities sent pairs of job seekers, matched in terms of job-readiness but not race, to apply for the same jobs. It found that black applicants were less likely to receive an interview than their white counterparts. If they got an interview, they were likely to have a shorter one and to encounter more negative remarks. They were more likely to be denied a job and more likely to be steered to less desirable jobs.