Calls for greater racial and economic equality that have been amplified by the events of the spring and summer of 2020 ring close to the hearts of much of the work being done by Department of Economics faculty at UD.

This summer Associate Professor and Chair of UD's Economics Department Tammy Leonard, Ph.D., examined data of racial preferences in housing markets. In particular, Leonard and her co-author were able to use the extensive Zillow housing market database to estimate the extent to which houses located in African American and Hispanic neighborhoods sell for less than comparable houses in comparable neighborhoods populated by white residents. Leonard’s work continues to explore the historical causes and contemporary implications of these housing market outcomes on the intergenerational transfer of wealth and economic mobility. 

Co-director of the Community Assistance Research (CARE) initiative at UD, Leonard specializes in interdisciplinary applications of public, urban and behavioral economics along with advanced spatial and econometric analysis methods. Her research work focuses on a variety of outcomes relevant to low-income populations. Leonard is also a research fellow of the Texas Hunger Initiative. Outside of work, Leonard does her best to keep up with her busy family and enjoys running, playing sports with her kids, being out in nature, and family time.