Cooperative Federalism and Fair Housing Enforcement*

Abstract

ObjectiveWe investigate how three levels of government have enforced the Fair Housing Act as a cooperative federalism program.MethodsBased on data obtained from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), we test a multivariate fixed effects logistic regression model.ResultsFirst, the Fair Housing Act's substantial equivalency requirement and HUD's Fair Housing Assistance Program have enabled state and local civil rights agencies to play an essential role in enforcing national fair housing policy. Second, there is little difference in the extent to which federal, state, and local agencies provide outcomes favorable to fair housing complainants. Third, local agencies have been most likely to provide favorable outcomes in recent years.ConclusionEncouraging state and particularly local agencies to participate more actively in fair housing enforcement would strengthen American federalism without significantly affecting complainants’ outcomes. Research involving effectiveness and efficiency in fair housing enforcement reinforces this argument.