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Abstract

To better understand the significance of employing group-specific data versus aggregate information in assessing the impacts of housing policies, we use multivariate regression analysis to examine the determinants of home ownership and to isolate the source of observed racial differences for black married couples and white married couples in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in 1970 and 1980. The results indicate (1) a systematic racial difference in life-cycle stage that effects home ownership, (2) a much lower probability of blacks becoming homeowners, and, worse, (3) a possible widening of the black/white home ownership gap. Discrimination is posited as the most likely explanation for continued blocked access to home ownership for blacks.

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Race and Life-Cycle Effects on Home Ownership in Los Angeles 1970 to 1980

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