Research on discrimination in housing and mortgage markets: Assessment and future directions

This paper presents a holistic conceptual framework within which various research topics related to discrimination may be interrelated and evaluated. It then critically analyzes extant research relating to central components in the framework: the detection of discrimination, causes of discrimination, consequences of discrimination, and policy initiatives related to fighting discrimination both directly by deterrence and indirectly by attacking segregation and the prejudices it spawns. A great deal is known about the nature of private acts of housing discrimination, but little about which policies are most effective in combating such discrimination. On the other hand, relatively little is known about the extent of housing discrimination perpetrated by local governments and public agencies and about both differential treatment and disparate impact forms of discrimination in mortgage and related (appraisal, insurance) markets.