Francisca García-Cobián Richter, PhD

Research Associate Professor
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences
Associate Director
Center on Poverty and Community Development
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences

Francisca García-Cobián Richter is a Research Associate Professor at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University.

She earned an undergraduate degree in statistics from the Universidad Católica del Perú (1994). Her M.S. in statistics (1997) and Ph.D. in agricultural economics (2000) are both from Oklahoma State University. Prior to coming to CWRU, she was a Research Economist in Community Development at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

Dr. Richter’s research focuses on the analysis of social interventions and the environments in which they operate. Her recent work includes estimating the effects of housing and neighborhood quality on children’s academic outcomes, evaluating a pay-for-success intervention targeted to families in the child welfare system facing housing instability, and assessing the economic cost of childhood exposure to domestic violence.

Dr. Richter is also associate director of the Math Corps Cleveland, a community-oriented academic enrichment and mentoring program for area middle and high-school students.

Biosketch
Curriculum Vitae
Google Scholar

Why I Teach

Given the growing use of data technologies in social welfare decision-making, it’s crucial to empower students to influence their development for social good. This doesn’t require students to become data scientists, but to critically examine the assumptions and biases embedded in the (meta)data and models used to aid decision-making in social welfare, making sure technologies are informed by the experiences of those represented in the data. This class (SASS471) is offered as an elective for all post-baccalaureate students, with the option to attain the Certificate in Data Science for Social Impact, offered in collaboration with the Case School of Engineering.  

Why I Chose this Profession

Growing up in Lima, Peru, I saw grassroots organizations, like women-led soup kitchens, stand bravely against poverty, discrimination, terrorism, and a weak social safety net. This sparked my interest in economics to fight poverty and challenge the narratives that fuel discrimination against the least powerful in seemingly all societies. At the Poverty Center, we work with colleagues across various colleges to leverage integrated administrative data systems (IDS) and community knowledge to inform social programs. Our ethical approach to data analytics aims to address discrimination bias in IDS and incorporate historical, contextual, and community knowledge to promote social good and equity.

Publications

Journal Articles

Coulton, C., Henderson, M., Richter, F. G.-C., Jeon J., Urban, A., Schramm, M., Fischer. R. 2024 Using Linked Administrative Data to Profile a City’s Rental Stock and Landlords and Guide a Lead-Safe Housing Initiative. Cityscape, Local Data for Local Action. 26(1). https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/cityscape/vol26num1/article1.html

Coulton, C., Richter, F G.-C., Cho, Y., Park, J. Jeon, Fischer, R. 2023. Making the case for lead safe housing: Downstream effects of lead exposure on outcomes for children and youth, Health & Place, 84,103118, ISSN 1353-8292, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2023.103118.

Richter, F. G.-C., Coulton, C., Fischer, R. L., & Lalich, N. 2021. Public Assistance and Homeless Shelter Trajectories. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 693(1), 123–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716221993380

Richter, F. G.-C., Coulton, C., Urban, A. and Steh, S. 2021 An Integrated Data System Lens Into Evictions and Their Effects. Housing Policy Debate. DOI: 10.1080/10511482.2021.1879201

Technical Reports & Other Peer-Reviewed Publications

Richter, F. G.-C., Shoag, D., Miller, D., Pierce, B., Jolly, S. 2024. Racial disparities impacting the financial well-being of Ohioans aged 50 and older. AARP Ohio Report. Forthcoming.

Richter, F. G.-C., Henderson, M., Harrison, G. 2023. Racial Disparities in the Location of Safe, Affordable Housing in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Center on Poverty and Community Development Policy Research Reports 23(1).

Richter, F. G.-C., Nelson, E., Coury, N., Bruckman, L., Knighton, S. 2023. FAIR2: A Framework for Addressing Discrimination Bias in Social Data Science. Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Advanced Research Methods and Analytics (CARMA2023). Spain. http://ocs.editorial.upv.es/index.php/CARMA/CARMA2023/paper/view/16400

Education

Doctor of Philosophy
Agricultural Economics
Oklahoma State University
Master of Science
Statistics
Oklahoma State University
Bachelor of Science
Statistics
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP)

Additional Information