Economic distress and voting: evidence from the subprime mortgage crisis

We use nationwide deed-level records on home foreclosures to examine the effects of economic distress on electoral outcomes and individual voter turnout. County-level difference-in-differences estimates show that counties that suffered larger increases in foreclosures did not punish or reward members of the incumbent president's party more than less affected counties. Linking the Ohio voter file to individual foreclosures, difference-in-differences estimates show that individuals whose homes were foreclosed on were less likely to turn out, rather than being mobilized. However, in 2016 counties more exposed to foreclosures supported Trump at substantially higher rates. Taken together, the evidence suggests that the effect of local economic distress on incumbent performance is generally close to zero and only becomes substantial in unusual circumstances.

The Effect of Home Foreclosures on Child Maltreatment Rates: A Longitudinal Examination of Neighborhoods in Cleveland, Ohio

Foreclosure rates have been linked to increased levels of neighborhood stress. Neighborhood stressors can impact a number of interpersonal and familial dynamics, including child maltreatment. Despite this, little research has examined the relationship between neighborhood foreclosure rates and aggregate trends in child maltreatment. Using substantiated child maltreatment cases, foreclosure, and census data at the neighborhood level in Cleveland, Ohio we find that home foreclosures are a significant predictor of neighborhood rates of child maltreatment. Importantly, this effect is durable and is not impacted by the housing crisis. Furthermore, this is a direct effect and is not shaped by other neighborhood conditions like poverty, as found in prior research. From a policy perspective, this suggests that policy makers need to be cognizant of the effect of foreclosures on child maltreatment regardless of the historical and economic contexts of the neighborhood.

The Foreclosure Crisis, Community Change, and the Cognitive Health of Older Adults

Objectives While home foreclosures are often thought of as a household-level event, the consequences may be far-reaching, and spill over to the broader community. Older adults, in particular, could be affected by the spiral of community changes that result from foreclosures, but we know very little about how the foreclosure crisis is related to older adult health, in particular cognition. Method This article uses growth curve models and data from the Health and Retirement Study matched to Census and county-level foreclosure data to examine whether community foreclosures are related to older adults’ cognitive health and the mechanisms responsible. Results We find that higher rates of county-level foreclosures are associated with a faster decline in individual cognition at older ages. Although we examined an extensive number of individual and community mechanisms, including individual housing wealth and depressive symptoms, community structural factors, social factors, and perceptions of physical disorder and cohesion, none of the mechanisms examined here explained this relationship. Discussion This study shows that the adverse consequences of home foreclosures spill over to the local community, with implications for the cognitive health of older adults.

Economic Distress and Voting: Evidence from the Subprime Mortgage Crisis

Roughly 7 million Americans lost homes to foreclosure during the Great Recession. Despite claims that the subprime mortgage crisis helped fuel recent political turmoil in the U.S., we lack systematic empirical evidence about the effects of this unprecedented spike in home foreclosures on American elections. We combine nationwide deed-level public records data on home foreclosures with election data and administrative voter data to examine the effects of home foreclosures on electoral outcomes and on individual voter turnout. At the aggregate level, county-level difference-in-differences estimates show that counties that suffered larger increases in foreclosures did not punish or reward members of the incumbent president's party more than less affected counties. At the individual level, merging the Ohio voter file with foreclosure data, difference-in-differences estimates reveal that Ohioans whose homes were foreclosed on were somewhat less likely to turn out to vote, particularly when foreclosures occurred close to election day. The findings cast doubt on the claim that individual-level economic distress during the Great Recession directly activated angry voters, and raise questions about the posited causal link between economic distress and the electoral punishment of incumbents.

Negative Effects of Home Foreclosures on Mental and Physical Health Risks

The rising rate of home foreclosures which stands at approximately 1 in 92 households in the United States has raised a national alarm. Medical issues account for approximately half of all home foreclosure filings and it appears that approximately 1.5 million American homeowners could lose their homes to foreclosure every year. The phenomenological method was applied to explore the problems through the participant's lived experience. Four core themes were revealed: foreclosure process resulting in hospitalization of family and foreclosure associated with the lack of family's health insurance, family health and the foreclosure process, and foreclosure and the negligence of doctor's prescription, foreclosure as perceived loss of money and finally homeownership, displacement and housing instability as a reason for depression. The study provides a framework for local practitioners and decision makers in identifying the consequences on the physical and mental health of the participants and their families and providing a workable foreclosure response system.

Negative Effects of Home Foreclosures on Mental and Physical Health Risks

The rising rate of home foreclosures which stands at approximately 1 in 92 households in the United States has raised a national alarm. Medical issues account for approximately half of all home foreclosure filings and it appears that approximately 1.5 million American homeowners could lose their homes to foreclosure every year. The phenomenological method was applied to explore the problems through the participant's lived experience. Four core themes were revealed: foreclosure process resulting in hospitalization of family and foreclosure associated with the lack of family's health insurance, family health and the foreclosure process, and foreclosure and the negligence of doctor's prescription, foreclosure as perceived loss of money and finally homeownership, displacement and housing instability as a reason for depression. The study provides a framework for local practitioners and decision makers in identifying the consequences on the physical and mental health of the participants and their families and providing a workable foreclosure response system.

Examination of the geographical variation in human West Nile virus: a spatial filtering approach

SUMMARYThis paper examines the importance of environmental factors (mosquito pools and home foreclosures) in human West Nile virus (WNV) transmission in California and Colorado. The role of environmental factors is investigated by applying an instrumental variable technique to a spatial filtering random-effects negative binomial model to correct for both spatial autocorrelation and endogeneity. The results suggest that mosquito pools and home foreclosures are significant in explaining the prevalence of human WNV. An innovative aspect of this research is that it emphasizes the role of home foreclosures in WNV transmission and in the allocation of resources. Knowledge of the factors associated with WNV prevalence is crucial for abatement of future outbreaks. The results suggest that more resources should be allocated to areas that have a high number of home foreclosures and mosquito pools for surveillance and mitigation of the disease.