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Craig Sylvera
Person

Craig Sylvera

Research Economist
Areas of Expertise urban economics, labor and demographic economics
Department Program on Economic Inclusion
Education
  • BS,
  • Finance,
  • University of New Orleans,
  • 2016
  • MA,
  • Economics,
  • Vanderbilt University,
  • 2018
  • PhD,
  • Economics,
  • Vanderbilt University,
  • 2022

Craig Sylvera is a research economist in the Research Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.  His primary research interests are urban and labor economics in the interest of understanding racial inequality.

Dr. Sylvera earned his PhD in economics from Vanderbilt University. He holds a BS in finance from the University of New Orleans and a MA in economics from Vanderbilt University.

    • Working Papers

      • Working Paper
        Black Mayors and Crime
        Craig Sylvera
        11.14.2023 | WP 23-27
        Local elections are often contested on the grounds of public safety, but do elected officials have any power to curb crime? Black mayors have particular interest in the issue because Black communities are victimized by high levels of crime and fragile police community relations. Using data on elections of first-time Black mayors, I find that police forces add more Black officers, a finding that is especially true for mayors with executive authority. Officers arrest 48 fewer potential Black offenders per 10,000 Black residents for crimes where they have the ability to exercise discretion, a finding that is commensurate with the overall reduction in crime. This effect is not visible for similar white arrests. Using changes in the levels of arrests and officers induced by pivotal Black elections, I then estimate the correlation of an additional officer on race-specific arrests. An additional Black officer is related to large reductions in discretionary Black arrests, perhaps suggesting increasing the presence and visibility of Black officers may offer a solution to the “over-policing, under-policing” problem Black communities tend to face.

        Topics: Economic equity and inclusion, State and local economies