Richard H. Sander

Richard H. Sander is the Dukeminier Distinguished Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law, where he has been a faculty member since 1989. He also serves as co-chair of the UCLA-RAND Center for Policy Research and Vice-Chair of the Inclusivity Institute. Sander holds a J.D. and Ph.D. in Economics from Northwestern University.

Sander's research focuses on social and economic inequality, with particular emphasis on housing segregation, law school admissions policies, and affirmative action. His most notable contribution is the development of the "mismatch hypothesis," which argues that large racial preferences in university admissions can harm the very students they intend to help by placing them in academic environments where they struggle relative to their peers. His influential book Mismatch: How Affirmative Action Hurts Students It's Intended to Help, and Why Universities Won't Admit It (2012) expanded on this theory.

Sander has extensively studied the effects of California's Proposition 209, which banned racial preferences in public university admissions. His research shows that after Prop 209's implementation, underrepresented minority enrollment initially declined but then rebounded to record levels through improved outreach programs and socioeconomic-based admissions criteria. He argues that race-neutral policies ultimately improved graduation rates and STEM participation for minority students.

Sander teaches courses in property law, quantitative methods, urban housing policy, and policy analysis. His empirical approach to legal scholarship has made significant contributions to debates about racial equality in education and housing. His work combines economic analysis with legal scholarship to examine the unintended consequences of well-intentioned policies.