An Exploratory Analysis of the Relationship Between Black Homeownership and Social Capital in Tennessee

This honors thesis seeks to explore the relationship between black homeownership and social capital within counties in Tennessee. Homeownership policy is built on the assumption that becoming a homeowner always has a net positive impact. While the benefits of homeownership for homeowners themselves have been widely explored in the literature, little has been done to understand how the presence of homeowners impacts communities at large. This is particularly salient for black households that have faced a number of barriers to homeownership and its benefits. Little research has been done to investigate whether black homeownership positively impacts social capital in the community, but policies continue to unilaterally incentivize homeownership as if this relationship is a given. This thesis brings a nuanced approach to the typical view of homeownership in hopes of opening a conversation surrounding a new path forward with more effective, data-driven policies. Exploratory data analysis and interviews with community leaders reveal that there is still much work to be done in fully understanding the relationship between black homeownership and social capital. The existing county-level social capital measures do not fully capture the aspects of social capital that were perceived by residents to be most essential to understanding the relationship between black homeownership and social capital. Improving the tools for research and analysis surrounding this relationship can empower policymakers to implement solutions that focus on what communities truly need to foster stable homeownership and strong social capital.Bachelor of Art