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on Urban and Real Estate Economics |
| By: | Brett Huettner; Stephan D. Whitaker |
| Abstract: | This District Data Brief analyzes how well regions in the Fourth District and across the United States draw back native residents who previously moved away. It also examines the extent to which these “boomerang migrants” contribute to the total populations of their respective regions. |
| Keywords: | Regional migration; regional economies |
| Date: | 2025–02–19 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:c00003:99574 |
| By: | Klaus Desmet; Fernando Parro |
| Abstract: | We examine the recent literature that studies the spatial distribution of economic activity across both space and time. We discuss the methodological advances enabling the incorporation of dynamic forces of economic activity—such as endogenous innovation, forward-looking location choices, capital and asset accumulation, idea diffusion, and stochastic fundamentals—into frameworks with many heterogeneous locations and a rich economic geography. These frameworks remain tractable for quantitative evaluations. We also discuss the wide range of empirical questions explored in recent work through the lens of these frameworks, including the global and local economic impacts of climate change, the dynamic effects of trade and migration policy, labor market adjustments to import competition, the spatial consequences of structural change, the dynamic effects of place-based policies, and the long-run spatial effects of large-scale infrastructure projects. |
| JEL: | F10 F16 F22 O11 O18 O33 R11 R12 R23 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33443 |
| By: | Batterham, Deb; reynolds, margaret; Cigdem, Melek; Parkinson, Sharon |
| Abstract: | Homelessness has grown in the suburbs of Australian capital cities, with more than 60 per cent of those experiencing homelessness at the 2021 Census found in Australia’s capital cities (up from around 48% in 2001). Homelessness has increased especially in areas with greater shortages of affordable private rental housing (relative to demand from low income households). The research, ‘The changing geography of homelessness in Australia (2001–21) and its structural drivers’, undertaken for AHURI by researchers from Swinburne University of Technology, Launch Housing and RMIT University, investigates the changing geography of homelessness in Australia from 2001 to 2021 and the role of structural factors, such as poverty and supplies of affordable rental housing, in shaping this geography. Homelessness was also higher in areas with smaller supplies of social housing relative to demand. The research suggests that an increase in social housing will further significantly reduce homelessness. In areas with a greater shortage of affordable rental dwellings, a higher percentage of Specialist Homelessness Service clients are returning for support after having been assisted. As the majority of people experiencing homelessness tend to remain in the same area, localised responses to homelessness are really important. Homelessness services and affordable housing options need to be expanded in areas where they are needed, and not just where existing services are located. In order to provide housing to clients who accessed a Specialist Homelessness Service in 2021–22, the research estimated that around 158, 000 one- to two-bedroom dwellings and 25, 000 three-or-more-bedroom dwellings are needed nationally. These dwellings must be affordable and available to households with the lowest incomes. |
| Date: | 2024–10–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:6gsx7_v1 |
| By: | Benjamin Cornejo Costas; Nicola Cortinovis; Andrea Morrison; |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the relationship between migrant inventors, informal institutions and the development of green technologies in European regions. We argue that migrant inventors act as an unlocking mechanism that transfers external knowledge to host regions, and that informal institutions (i.e. social capital, migrant acceptance) mediate this effect. The work is based on an original dataset of migrant inventors covering 271 NUTS2 regions in the 27 EU countries, the UK, Switzerland, and Norway. The analysis shows that migrant inventors help their host regions to diversify into green technologies. The regions with the highest levels of both measures of social capital show a higher propensity of migrant inventors to act knowledge brokers. Conversely, regions with lower levels of migrant acceptance and social capital do not seem to contribute to this effect. |
| Keywords: | lock-in, international migration, green innovation, social capital, acceptance, regional diversification, EU regions |
| JEL: | F22 J61 O30 R12 Q55 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:egu:wpaper:2503 |
| By: | Moktan, Sidharth (London School of Economics and Political Science); Guin, Benjamin (Bank of England); Clarke, Liam (Bank of England) |
| Abstract: | What is the role of lending in transmitting shocks to residential real estate? We consider this question by examining an adverse and salient shock to a segment of the property market in England and Wales. This shock, arising from a tragic event which resulted in significant loss of life, affected high-rise properties.1 Using comprehensive administrative data on all residential mortgage and property transactions, combined with property‑level rent data, we study responses in these markets. Consistent with the idea of credit being a ‘financial accelerator’, we document a decline in mortgage originations following the shock, with the sharpest contraction observed among first‑time buyers. We also highlight the role of cash buyers and lender size in dampening the overall impact of the shock. Additionally, the paper provides a conceptual framework that integrates multiple administrative data sets to understand how salient shocks, including those related to climate risks, may affect the property market. It offers valuable insights for financial policymakers on how these shocks propagate through credit and housing markets. |
| Keywords: | Residential real estate; mortgage market; collateral shocks |
| JEL: | D14 G21 |
| Date: | 2025–01–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:boe:boeewp:1111 |
| By: | Asim, Salman; Gera, Ravinder Madron Casley; Moreno, Juan Martin; Wong, Kerry Lai Man |
| Abstract: | Teachers are one of the most important inputs for learning, but in many low-income countries they are poorly distributed between schools. This paper discusses the case of Malawi, which has introduced new evidence-based policies and procedures to improve the equity and efficiency of the allocation of teachers to schools. The analysis finds that adherence to these policies has been highly variable between the country’s districts, with the most successful deploying 75 percent of teachers according to the rules and the least successful just 22 percent. Using administrative data, the paper identifies the impacts on student repetition rates of reductions in pupil–qualified teacher ratios as a result of the new teachers. The findings show that schools that moved from having more than 90 pupils per qualified teacher to a lower ratio experienced reductions in lower primary school repetition rates of 2–3 percentage points. However, similar impacts on dropout are not observed. |
| Date: | 2024–07–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10844 |
| By: | Velthuis, Sanne; Le Petit-Guerin, Mehdi; Royer, Jeroen; Leibert, Tim; Cauchi-Duval, Nicolas; Franklin, Rachel S. (Newcastle University); MacKinnon, Danny |
| Abstract: | Over the past ten years or so, concern has mounted about places in the Global North that have been ‘left behind’ by the growth and prosperity experienced in superstar cities and other wealthy regions. This briefing paper summarises the findings from the one of the strands of the ‘Beyond Left Behind Places’ project, which involved quantitative analysis of residential migration patterns in economically ‘left behind’ regions in the UK, France, and Germany during the immediate pre-COVID period. In addition, we conducted qualitative research with residents of economically ‘left behind’ regions in the three countries to get their perceptions. We use national administrative and census data for the three countries to examine whether economically lagging regions tend to lose or gain population through migration, and what age groups are moving in or out. Economic theories often assume that individuals migrate from economically lagging regions to areas offering better economic conditions. But actually, economically lagging regions in the UK, France and Germany generally tend to experience net population inflows. In other words, more people are moving to these regions than are moving out. In fact, when it comes to internal migration (i.e. people moving within the same country), these lagging regions tend to attract more new residents, on average, than more economically successful regions do. |
| Date: | 2024–11–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:t4vbd_v1 |
| By: | Cai, Liang; Song, Guangwen; Zhang, Yanji |
| Abstract: | Objectives Although the social disorganization tradition emphasizes the role of neighborhood context in shaping delinquent behaviors and neighborhood crime, researchers have rarely considered the influence of neighborhood context on criminals’ decision of where to offend. This study explicitly examines how concentrated disadvantage in both the origin and destination neighborhoods structures burglars’ preference for street physical disorder and spatial familiarity. Methods We measure observed and perceived physical disorder from 107, 858 street view images using computer vision algorithms. Geo-referenced mobile phone flows between 1, 642 census units are used to approximate offenders’ potential spatial knowledge about target neighborhoods. Discrete choice models are estimated separately for burglars from disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged neighborhoods (N=1, 972). Results While burglars residing in non-disadvantaged neighborhoods are not sensitive to physical disorder in non-disadvantaged target neighborhoods, they strongly avoid disadvantaged neighborhoods with disorder. Conversely, residents of neighborhoods with concentrated disadvantage swiftly act upon street disorder in better-off neighborhoods but not in disadvantaged neighborhoods. These tendencies to react to the presence of physical disorder on the street are also contingent on burglars’ potential familiarity with the target environment. Conclusions We highlight the importance of larger neighborhood structural characteristics and their interactions with spatial knowledge and environmental conditions such as visual signs of disorder, in criminal decision making. Physical disorder is not uniformly indicative of decay across neighborhoods and offenders. This divergent decision-making may also partially explain spatial heterogeneity of crime. Moreover, spatial knowledge is most effective in triggering or deterring actions in places that are categorically different from offenders’ residential spaces. |
| Date: | 2024–12–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:rcny3_v1 |
| By: | Berliant, Marcus |
| Abstract: | We examine the fine microstructure of commuting in a game-theoretic setting with a continuum of commuters. Commuters' home and work locations can be heterogeneous. A commuter transport network is exogenous. Traffic speed is determined by local congestion at a time and place along a link, where local congestion at a time and place is endogenous. The model can be reinterpreted to apply to congestion on the internet. We find sufficient conditions for existence of equilibrium, that multiple equilibria are ubiquitous, and that the welfare properties of morning and evening commute equilibria differ on a generalization of a directed tree. |
| Keywords: | Commuting; Internet traffic; Congestion externality; Efficient Nash equilibrium; Price of anarchy |
| JEL: | L86 R41 |
| Date: | 2025–02–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:123553 |
| By: | Le blanc, Julia (European Commission - JRC); Slacalek, Jiri (European Central Bank); White, Matthew N. (Econ-ARK) |
| Abstract: | Homeownership rates and holdings of housing wealth differ immensely across countries. We specify and estimate a life cycle model with risky labor income and house prices in which households face a discreteâcontinuous choice between renting and owning a house, whose sale is subject to transaction costs. The model allows us to quantify three groups of explanatory factors for long-run, structural differences in the extensive and intensive margins of housing: the homeownership rate and the value of housing wealth of homeowners. First, in line with survey evidence, we allow for differences in expectations of house prices. Second, countries differ in the institutional set-up of the housing market: maximum loanâvalue ratio and costs of renting, maintaining, and selling a house. Third, we allow for differences in household preferences: the dispersion in discount factors, the share of housing expenditure, and the bequest motive. We estimate the model using micro data from five large economies and provide a decomposition to interpret what drives the cross-country differences in housing wealth. We find that all three groups of factors matter, although preferences less so. Differences in homeownership rates are strongly affected by (i) house price beliefs and (ii) therental wedge, the difference between rents and maintenance costs, which reflects the qualityof the rental market. Differences in the value of housing wealth are substantially driven by housing maintenance costs. |
| Keywords: | Housing, Homeownership, House Price Expectations, Housing Market Institutions, Cross-Country Comparisons |
| JEL: | D15 D31 D84 E21 G11 G51 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:jrs:wpaper:202501 |
| By: | Duncan MacLennan; Kenneth Gibb |
| Abstract: | Housing outcomes are increasingly problematic in the UK and the OECD. A troubling trinity of rising homelessness, growing queues and high payment burdens in rental housing, and difficulties in entering homeownership are widespread. Adverse outcomes, evolved over decades, reflect both socio-economic changes and persistent failures in the governance of housing systems. Governments fail to grasp how housing outcomes frustrate goals for stability, higher growth and productivity, fairer distributions of wealth and residual incomes, and progress towards net zero. Ubiquitously macro- and sector-specific policies overwhelm the effects of 'palliative' expenditures of Housing Ministries. Governments need to disrupt policy approaches and rethink what housing is, how the system functions, what outcomes do for the economy, society, and environment, and what 'housing' policy is. They must reach beyond the mantras of meeting needs, making housing affordable, and expanding homeownership. Housing policy must be redefined as the whole of government actions that manage the overall housing system to deliver outcomes that best achieve wider missions. Economic policy must shape a better functioning housing system that delivers improved wealth and productivity effects. Current difficulties partly reflect short-term policy mismanagement. The UK, like similar economies, has experienced a decade of pressures in rental markets exacerbated by high immigration rates, growing numbers of overseas student, and potential homeowners frustrated by high downpayments, stress tests and, more recently, higher mortgage rates. Despite the 'supply side' rhetoric of policy, 'demand mismanagement' has been recognised, policy adjusted and rent rises are easing. However, two longer-term 'meta' processes have driven the current crises. First, real housing prices have risen ahead of incomes; between 1992 and 2022 average house prices rose by 377 per cent and median household disposable income by only 51 per cent. Second, the distributions of income and wealth have shifted against the poorest three deciles. |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nsr:niesrp:44 |
| By: | Amorim, Vivian; Caio Piza; Lautharte Jr., Ildo José |
| Abstract: | This paper contributes to the growing body of evidence on the effects of school closures on learning outcomes, focusing on a recent event in a developing country. During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic outbreak, a significant number of public schools in São Paulo state, Brazil, extended the winter break by two to three weeks. By employing double- and triple-difference estimates, the study reveals that even such a relatively short period of school closure can result in a learning deficit equivalent to six to nine weeks of regular schooling. Furthermore, the findings indicate that the adverse impacts were more pronounced among students performing below the expected proficiency level in math, suggesting disproportionate effects on schools with a higher percentage of academically challenged students. Moreover, the research underscores the role of school decentralization, revealing that municipal schools exhibited greater resilience in mitigating the negative shock compared to state-run schools. This observation aligns with the broader evidence highlighting the advantages of decentralized governance structures in responding to crises within the education sector. |
| Date: | 2024–08–26 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10879 |
| By: | Guinea Martín, Daniel; Rojas Mora, Julio |
| Abstract: | Chile's 2015 School Inclusion Act promotes the phasing out of copays in so-called privatevoucher schools (largely equivalent to charter schools elsewhere). Our main research question is, What is the impact of reducing copays on (1) socioeconomic segregation, an intended target of the reform, and (2) ethnic segregation, a separate and much smaller dimension of school segregation that nonetheless might also be a ected by the reform asminorities tend to be poorer? We analyze the entire student body in primary education between 2016 and 2018 with an strategy based on three instrumental variables: (1) variationin monthly municipality unemployment and activity rates; (2) student-to-teacher ratios in public schools; and, (3) a crime index. We conclude that dropping copays would eliminate more than two thirds of socioeconomic segregation and almost half of ethnic segregation. In the article we also compare our favored administrative-led defnition of three socioeconomic statuses (low, mid and high) with alternatives based on mother's educational level or household income that rely on a sizeable sample of around 80 percent of the student body. We conclude that these sample-based alternatives lead to biased (1) segregation measurements and (2) estimates of the effect on copays on segregation. |
| Keywords: | Chile; Ethnicity; Instrumental variables; School segregation; Socioeconomic status; Mutual information index |
| Date: | 2025–02–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cte:werepe:45948 |
| By: | Bergh, Andreas (Department of Economics, Lund University, and); Mehic, Adrian (Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN)); Sandberg, David (Department of Economics, Lund University); Wernberg, Joakim (Department of Technology and Society, Lund University) |
| Abstract: | The rapid rise of e-scooters (electric scooters) in cities around the world, boosted by the introduction of shared e-scooter services has visibly reshaped the way people move around cities, sparking both excitement and controversy. With the increase in popularity of these vehicles, concerns regarding their impact on traffic safety and accidents have become a rising public concern. In this paper, we investigate the frequency of traffic accidents involving e scooters following the introduction of shared e-scooter services in Swedish municipalities during the period 2019-2022. We use a staggered difference-in-difference regression to identify the causal effect of shared e-scooters on various types of traffic accidents using municipalities without e-scooters as a control group. We present three main findings. First, overall accidents increase by approximately one standard deviation in the first quarter following the introduction of shared e-scooters, but the overall effect decreases (0.5-1 standard deviation) over five quarters and vanishes over nine quarters. Second, the increase in accidents involving e-scooters is not associated with an increase in pedestrian or bicycle accidents. Instead, e-scooters are predominantly involved in accidents with cars. Third, the observed increase in accidents is largely attributable to large metropolitan areas, where urban traffic is usually more complex and intensive. |
| Keywords: | Urban mobility; traffic accidents; e-scooters |
| JEL: | O18 R41 |
| Date: | 2025–02–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:1520 |
| By: | Sebastian Martin Krantz |
| Abstract: | This paper characterizes economically optimal investments in Africa’s road network in partial and general equilibrium —based on a detailed topography of the network, road con-struction costs, frictions in cross-border trading, and economic geography. Drawing from data on 144 million trans-continental routes, it first assesses local and global network efficiency and market access. It then derives a large network connecting 447 cities and 52 ports along the fastest routes, devises an algorithm to propose new links, analyzes the quality of existing links, and estimates link-level construction/upgrading costs. Subsequently, it computes market-access-maximizing investments in partial equilibrium and conducts cost-benefit analysis for individual links and several investment packages. Using a spatial economic model and global optimization over the space of networks, it finally elicits welfare-maximizing investments in spatial equilibrium. Findings imply that cross-border frictions and trade elasticities signifi-cantly shape optimal road investments. Reducing frictions yields the greatest benefits, followed by road upgrades and new construction. Sequencing matters, as reduced frictions generally increase investment returns. Returns to upgrading key links are large, even under frictions. |
| Date: | 2024–09–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10893 |
| By: | Kim, Dongjin |
| Abstract: | The population of Seoul had exploded from 1 million to 2.45 million in 7 years right after the end of the Korean War (from 1953 to 1960). Many parts of Seoul were converted into slum areas and aimless urbanisation lowered the quality of life in the Seoul metropolitan area. Pupils were excluded from education due to the lack of school infrastructure while citizens were exposed to crime and unemployment. In the middle of the population crisis, the metropolitan government of Seoul and the central government of South Korea paid attention to the potential of Gangnam as one of the candidate regions for the expansion of the Seoul metropolitan area. This review presents how Gangnam has transformed from an “empty land” to the “symbol of wealth” in the history of the Gangnam development and the expansion of the Seoul metropolitan area. The initial development plan tried to solve immediate housing problems derived from the lack of urban space and facility. After 20 years of the intensive development, Gangnam has transformed from a poor countryside region into the new economic centre and financial hub. Gangnam has become a symbol of wealth in South Korea where citizens and private companies would like to reside. On the other hand, many evictees lost their home and disappeared as nameless citizens behind the scenes of the development. The Gangnam-style development, the expertise of urban development acquired in Gangnam, can be thoroughly studied and transferred to other regions in South Korea and developing countries in the world, thus establishing Gangnam as a model case of metropolitan area expansion. Key words: construction, eviction, Gangnam, housing crisis, metropolitan area, Seoul, shantytowns, urban development |
| Date: | 2024–10–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:268zg_v1 |
| By: | Bernard, Josef; Refisch, Martin; Grzelak, Anna; Bański, Jerzy; Deppisch, Larissa; Konopski, Michał; Kostelecký, Tomáš; Kowalski, Mariusz; Klärner, Andreas |
| Abstract: | Recently, the notion of left-behind places and regions has gained ground in academic debates on regional inequality and changing electoral landscapes. This paper proposes an approach to conceptualising and measuring regional “left-behindness” in three Central Eastern European countries that goes beyond a dichotomous division of regions into “left-behind” versus “not left-behind”. It understands left-behindness as a multi-dimensional continuum, representing regional disparities in living standards and socio-economic opportunities. Our understanding of left-behind plades is based to a large extent on the current economic conditions of the regions and their dynamics, but goes beyond them to include a wider range of socially relevant aspects of the living conditions, including educational attainment, poverty, and the attractiveness of places to live. The paper proposes an approach to measuring regional left-behindness and explores how it explains voting patterns. Thus, the paper is motivated by the seminal arguments of the 'geography of discontent' debate. Its proponents have argued that rising support for populist, right-wing nationalist-conservative and anti-system parties is often closely linked to spatial patterns of regional inequality. This argument has been repeatedly tested in Western European countries, but has remained under-researched in Central Eastern Europe. Using our approach, we were able to confirm the validity of the "geography of discontent" as a central thesis for all three countries studied. The novelty and added value of this study is that it extends the understanding of left-behindness and voting. Our multidimensional approach to left-behindness allows for a comprehensive interpretation of spatial patterns of populist voting in Central Eastern Europe. The relationship between regional left-behindness and voting behaviour varies in strength across different countries. In Czechia, there are strong associations for the parties ANO and SPD, but not for the KSČM. In eastern Germany, the association between left-behindness and support for the AfD is weaker, as is the case in Poland for the PiS. Another contribution of the multidimensional concept of left-behindness is the finding that different dimensions of left-behindness have different electoral effects. There appears to be a systematic influence of economic prosperity and relative expansion, which primarily captures the contrast between metropolitan areas and their hinterlands on the one hand, versus the rest of the country on the other—not only in terms of economic prosperity and relative expansion, but also in terms of a significant social status hierarchy. Poverty, however, shows a less stable relationship. |
| Keywords: | Community/Rural/Urban Development |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:jhimwp:350171 |
| By: | Asim, Salman; Bashir, Sajitha; Gera, Ravinder Madron Casley |
| Abstract: | School closures from COVID-19 have resulted in large learning losses, from 0.05 to 0.17 standard deviations in high income countries, equivalent to two to six months of lost learning. However, the extent of primary-level learning loss in low-income countries remains unclear, studies lack information on individual students’ learning trajectories, and most do not include students who dropped out. This paper uses representative survey data from Malawi that includes unique longitudinal data on individual students (grade 4 at baseline), including those who dropped out, at three points in time: pre-COVID; 1–12 months before the seven-month school closures; and 14–20 months after schools reopened. Across math, English, and Chichewa, the local language, the average learning loss amounts to 18 months (78 points, 0.78 standard deviations), significantly higher than the loss documented in high income contexts. Decomposing this loss, the findings show that students lost 0.25 standard deviations of existing knowledge during the closure, and a further 0.23 standard deviations in foregone learning compared to the expected trajectory had schools remained open. Further loss comes from a slowdown in learning after schools reopened, with students gaining 7 points’ less new knowledge in math per 100 days, the majority of which is not explained by increased dropout. Our findings are relevant for other low-income and lower-middle income contexts: remote learning during school closure was in general ineffectual, necessitating urgent action to remediate lost learning; and children who dropped out had the highest learning losses and now require out-of-school learning opportunities. |
| Date: | 2024–07–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10843 |
| By: | Jan Weymeirsch; Hanna Dieckmann; Ralf Münnich |
| Abstract: | Spatial dynamic microsimulations have distinct potential to operate and project populations on finely detailed geographic level. For this, a detailed building and dwellings data set is typically needed, such that inner-region migration flows and local population developments may be modelled accurately. There exists, however no comprehensive building register for Germany, especially none that is openly available to the research community and which accurately distinguishes buildings in regard to their usage as accommodation or as potential workplaces. The following work serves as a pilot study to create such a data set by combining several publicly available data sources for a single region in Germany. Its quality is evaluated by comparing it to both, aggregate information from German official statistics, and register data from the city of Trier. |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:trr:wpaper:202409 |
| By: | Davidson, Elle; Porter, Libby; Landau-Ward, Ani; Wensing, Ed; Kelly, Matthew; McNeill, Donald |
| Abstract: | Current approaches to engaging First Nations peoples in urban policy and planning are placing an unreasonable and unsustainable burden, especially on Traditional Custodians, new AHURI research finds. A change of relationship with Traditional Custodians and a rethinking of current engagement approaches could create a more responsible process. The research, ‘Voicing First Nations Country, culture and community in urban policy’, undertaken for AHURI by researchers from University of Sydney, RMIT University and University of NSW, examines the relationship of First Nations peoples in Australia to urban policy, and is designed to centre First Nations sovereignty, authority, knowledge, governance and agency as the starting point toward a more responsible relationship. Urban places, from large metropolitan areas to small towns in regional areas, are sites of intensive dispossession at the same time as being dense networks of community and ongoing cultural practice and connection. Nevertheless, urbanisation and the density of population settlement, private property and the miasma of legislation, policy and regulation imposed on Country hasn’t destroyed First Nations Traditional Custodians connection to ancestral lands or their cultural obligations and rights to lands and waters. Governments are asking local planners and developers to consult with First Nation Traditional Custodians with some level of engagement. This has the effect of intensifying pressure on Custodians, with short timeframes and often unrealistic expectations imposed upon First Nations communities. Urban policy planning can be a tool for healing and repair between First Nations people and the broader Australian community. Engagement can be used to create new opportunities—but current engagement approaches require rethinking and need to include building longer term relationships, long before a project requires engagement. Building and sustaining relationships and creating new processes and models must be supported with resources structures that are secure, ongoing and transcend piecemeal project-by-project funding. |
| Date: | 2024–10–23 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:ktzsv_v1 |
| By: | Schmeißer, Aiko; Katharina Maria Fietz |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the impact of working with same-race coworkers on individuals’ retention at firms. Using administrative employer-employee data from Brazil, the paper exploits unexpected deaths of workers from different racial groups as exogenous shocks to peer group composition. The findings show that a decrease in the non-white share of coworkers reduces the retention of non-white workers but does not affect the retention of white workers. The effects are driven by non-whites quitting and moving to new jobs with more peers of the same race than in their old jobs. The findings highlight how peer dynamics can contribute to racial segregation across workplaces. |
| Date: | 2024–09–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10899 |
| By: | Lisa J. Dettling; Melissa Schettini Kearney |
| Abstract: | This paper proposes that the adoption of the modern U.S. mortgage (i.e., low down payment, long-term, and fixed-rate)—led by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Veteran’s Administration (VA) loan insurance programs—set the stage for the mid-twentieth century U.S. baby boom by dramatically raising rates of home ownership for young families. Using newly digitized data on FHA- and VA- backed loan issuance and births by state-year, and a novel instrumental variables strategy that isolates supply-side variation in loan issuance, we find that the FHA and VA mortgage insurance programs led to 3 million additional births from 1935-1957, roughly 10 percent of the excess births in the baby boom. Aggregate effects mask differences by group—we find no effects of FHA/VA lending on births for Nonwhite women, consistent with well-documented racial discrimination in these lending programs. Our results highlight the importance of access to home ownership for fertility decisions. |
| JEL: | G21 H31 J13 N32 R38 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33446 |
| By: | Jesús López-Rodríguez; Diego Martínez-López; Brais Pociña-Sánchez |
| Abstract: | The foot-loose capital (FC) models predict that agglomeration forces create rents for the mobile factor (capital), which can be easily taxed, and thus higher equilibrium tax rates are expected. This paper uses a highly flexible econometric specification (P-Spline spatial autoregressive model, PS-SAR) to look at the relationship between tax rates and agglomeration economies in Spain over the period 2013-2020. Our results show the existence of a minimum level of agglomeration economies that are required to find taxable agglomeration rents. This outcome calls for a reassessment of the linear FC models to disentangle which mechanisms might lead to these phenomena. |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fda:fdaddt:2025-02 |
| By: | König, Christian (WZB Berlin Social Science Center); Salomo, Katja; Helbig, Marcel |
| Abstract: | Exposure to environmental burdens, such air and noise pollution or the lack of available green spaces, has been linked to a multitude of detrimental outcomes. Previous evidence indicates that poor residents and foreign minorities in European cities are disproportionately exposed to environmental burdens. However, there are substantial but ill-understood differences between European countries and between cities within countries. To address this limitation, we utilise fine-grained 1km-by-1km neighbourhood grid data on objective air and noise pollution as well as green space availability, enriched with administrative data on poverty rates and foreign minority shares from all German cities with at least 100, 000 inhabitants in 2017. We examine whether poor residents and foreign minorities are more often affected by environmental burdens, how their exposure to environmental burdens differs between cities, and what city-specific contextual factors contribute to these between-city differences. We find evidence that foreign minorities are more likely to be exposed to environmental burdens, but poor residents are predominantly not. However, there is considerable variation between cities. The strongest explanatory factor for this variation is the extent to which disadvantaged groups live in central neighbourhoods, less so residential segregation of poor and foreign residents, or the scarcity of ‘clean and healthy’ neighbourhoods in a city. Against these results, we further explore empirically how the current wave of inner-city gentrification might ease environmental inequality in German cities. |
| Date: | 2024–09–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:j4tf2_v1 |
| By: | Buckmann, Marcus (Bank of England); Eccles, Buckmann (Bank of England) |
| Abstract: | We study the effects intermediaries have on the UK mortgage market by exploiting the strong increase in broker intermediation between 2013 and 2020. Our findings indicate that this rise coincided with more households choosing mortgages with a short fixed term, due to brokers steering households towards these mortgages to increase fees from repeat business. Increased broker intermediation also enabled smaller lenders to reach more customers by geographically diversifying their mortgage portfolios, which gave smaller lenders the opportunity to specialise their mortgage portfolios, concentrating on long fixed-term and high LTV mortgages. |
| Keywords: | Mortgages; brokers; banks; household finances; portfolio diversification. |
| JEL: | D43 G21 G28 |
| Date: | 2025–02–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:boe:boeewp:1104 |
| By: | Asim, Salman; Gera, Ravinder Madron Casley; Harris, Donna Oretha; Dercon, Stefan |
| Abstract: | Evidence from high-income countries suggests that the quality of school leadership has measurable impacts on teacher behaviors and student learning achievement. However, there is a lack of rigorous evidence in low-income contexts, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study tests the impact on student progression and test scores of a two-year, multi-phase intervention to strengthen leadership skills for head teachers, deputy head teachers, and sub-district education officials. The intervention consists of two phases of classroom training along with follow-up visits, implemented over two years. It focuses on skills related to making more efficient use of resources; motivating and incentivizing teachers to improve performance; and curating a culture in which students and teachers are all motivated to strengthen learning. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 1, 198 schools in all districts of Malawi, providing evidence of the impact of the intervention at scale. The findings show that the intervention improved student test scores by 0.1 standard deviations, equivalent to around eight weeks of additional learning, as well as improving progression rates. The outcomes were achieved primarily as a result of improvements in the provision of remedial classes. |
| Date: | 2024–07–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10846 |
| By: | Vij, Akshay; Sharam, Andrea; Baako, Kingsley; Ardeshiri, Ali; Faulkner, Debbie; Washington, Lynette; Reddy, Wejandra; Lowies, Braam |
| Abstract: | This AHURI research examines how governments can encourage small-scale private investors to provide affordable rental housing. It finds that landlords who follow the positively geared, long-term hold investment (LTHI) model are most likely to be part of affordable housing schemes. The LTHI landlords invest on the basis of positive cashflow earning reliable rental income. In general, they purchase cheaper housing in lower value locations and seek to own their investment property outright by retirement. LTHIs landlords can provide a source of affordable rental housing, but do not tend to lead the creation of new stock. The landlords will participate in affordable housing schemes that maximise the potential for a positive cashflow, and not those based on financial schemes such as negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions. It is important to index rental increases to market rates so that investors who lock-in to long-term schemes are not disincentivised. Focus groups with small-scale landlords who lease their properties to social housing providers (SHPs) found the landlords were unanimous in their support for headlease programs. The advantages for landlords included: - guaranteed rental payments provided cashflow security—such rental guarantees made investors 12 per cent more likely to participate in a scheme - no loss of rent due to vacancy and no need to advertise for new tenants - guaranteed make-good provisions gave confidence that the property would be returned in original condition - reduced administration demands provided peace of mind and a ‘hands free’ approach. |
| Date: | 2024–11–20 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:4sqwb_v1 |
| By: | MATTIA BALESTRA; GIULIO CAINELLI; ROBERTO GANAU; NADIIA MATSIUK; MARIO PASQUATO; ROBERTO PIERDICCA |
| Abstract: | We combine history with economic geography to contribute shading light on the long-run determinants of territorial development differentials in Italy. Specifically, we study the effects of historical sovereignty change on current local economic development. We measure historical sovereignty change through the yearly number of changes in sovereignty occurred in the period 1000–1861⎯that is, until the unification of Italy⎯and assess its effects on labor productivity in 2018. We estimate a negative effect of historical sovereignty change on current local economic development, and identify⎯both theoretically and empirically⎯civic capital as a plausible underlying mechanism. |
| Keywords: | Historical sovereignty change; civic capital; local economic development; Italy |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:egu:wpaper:2504 |
| By: | Andrew L. Dabalen; Justice Tei Mensah; Nsabimana, Aimable |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the medium-term effects of policy- driven income shocks on human capital accumulation in low-income environments. Using administrative data on test scores of the universe of primary school students in Rwanda and the staggered rollout of coffee mills in the country, it shows a positive spillover effect of the coffee mills on students’ performance. Early life exposure to coffee mills is associated with a 0.09 standard deviation (4 percent) increase in student test scores. Improvements in household welfare, child health, and school attendance are likely operative channels of impact. |
| Date: | 2024–12–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10993 |
| By: | Leng, Alyssa Amanda; Edwards, Ryan Barclay (Australian National University); Wood, Terence |
| Abstract: | Exposure to quantitative information about immigrants or narratives around the costs and benefits of immigration can alter people’s immigration policy preferences. Using a survey experiment with a representative sample of over 5, 000 respondents in Australia, we find substantial and contradictory misperceptions across the number, origins and labour market attributes of immigrants. Most respondents prefer less immigration overall, but favour increased high-skilled immigration. Support for increased immigration rises by 4.5—7 percentage points when respondents are shown narratives on how immigrants can help improve housing affordability. Conversely, highlighting the perceived negative impacts of immigration on housing affordability reduces support for increasing or maintaining current immigration levels. Providing quantitative information on immigrants’ characteristics generates smaller increases in support for more immigration than narratives. For immigration from Pacific Island countries, exposure to quantitative information increases support for relaxing visa requirements but there is no evidence that narratives have any effect. |
| Date: | 2025–02–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:c63uq_v1 |
| By: | valentine, kylie; Liu, Edgar; Veeroja, Piret; Harris, Patrick; Blunden, Hazel; Horton, Ella |
| Abstract: | Supply of more housing options for people on social housing waiting lists should be given increased priority, as longer wait times and uncertain or unsafe housing creates further mental health challenges for applicants already facing increased health needs, according to new AHURI research. The research, ‘The role of housing providers in supporting clients with complex needs’, was undertaken for AHURI by researchers from the University of New South Wales, Swinburne University of Technology and the University of Tasmania. It investigates the current challenges in providing social housing to people with complex support needs and considers potential alternative policy responses. Mental health was identified at the centre of many clients’ health needs. Longer social housing wait times and uncertain or unsafe housing was seen as increasing mental health challenges for clients. An increasingly uncertain and expensive rental market was also recognised as exacerbating the issues. At the simplest service response, connecting people to secure housing helped their mental health. Indeed, social housing providers may be the first and only point of contact that clients with unmet mental health needs have with the service system. Developing the housing service providers’ workforce could improve the effectiveness of support provided to people with multiple support needs, together with providing individual casework support for with clients to helping people navigate support networks, including ensuring that clients are designated as priority clients on social housing registries. The provision of secure, genuinely affordable housing for people with low and moderate incomes would reduce the pressure on social housing registries. Affordable housing rents need to be reviewed and set based on percentage of income formulae, rather than setting rents as a percentage of market rents. |
| Date: | 2024–10–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:fqt8s_v1 |
| By: | Góes, Carlos; Segnana, Juan; Robertson, Raymond; Lopez-Acevedo, Gladys C. |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the dynamic effects of export exposure on local labor markets in Indonesia, that is, how an increase in exports affects a range of labor market indicators over time. The paper develops an empirical strategy to instrument exposure to foreign demand shocks and validates it by showing that labor market responses are consistent with what a quantitative spatial model would predict after demand shocks. The results show that employment, labor force, real wages, and real wage bills increase more in districts that are more exposed to foreign demand shocks—that is, where exports increase more—relative to the least exposed regions. Extending the analysis over multiple response horizons shows that these shocks persist six years after the foreign demand shock. Lastly, employment responses are stronger among skilled workers relative to unskilled workers and in the formal sector relative to the informal sector. |
| Date: | 2024–06–27 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10829 |
| By: | Fix, Blair |
| Abstract: | If mainstream economics teaches us one lesson, it’s that when something becomes unaffordable, it’s because of a shortage. And that brings me to the US housing crisis. In America, housing is getting less affordable. So there must be a short supply, right? Not necessarily. You see, shortage is not the only route to unaffordability. There’s also … theft. Here’s how it works. |
| Keywords: | crisis, distribution, housing, affordability, price, United States |
| JEL: | P1 R D3 O15 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:esprep:312033 |
| By: | Balgova, Maria (Bank of England); Illing, Hannah (University of Bonn) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the differential impact of job displacement on migrants and natives. Using administrative data for Germany from 1997–2016, we identify mass layoffs and estimate the trajectory of earnings and employment of observationally similar migrants and natives displaced from the same establishment. Despite similar pre-layoff careers, migrants lose an additional 9% of their earnings in the first five years after displacement. This gap arises from both lower re-employment probabilities and post-layoff wages and is not driven by selective return migration. Key mechanisms include sorting into lower-quality firms and depending on lower-quality coworker networks during job search. |
| Keywords: | Immigration; job displacement; job search |
| JEL: | J62 J63 J64 |
| Date: | 2024–12–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:boe:boeewp:1099 |
| By: | Abhimanyu Gupta; Xi Qu; Sorawoot Srisuma; Jiajun Zhang |
| Abstract: | We present simple to implement Wald-type statistics that deliver a general nonparametric inference theory for linear restrictions on varying coefficients in a range of spatial autoregressive models. Our theory covers error dependence of a general form, allows for a degree of misspecification robustness via nonparametric spatial weights and permits inference on both varying regression and spatial coefficients. One application of our method finds evidence for constant returns to scale in the production function of the Chinese nonmetal mineral industry, while another finds a nonlinear impact of the distance to the employment center on housing prices in Boston. A simulation study confirms that our tests perform well in finite-samples. |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2502.03084 |
| By: | Pabico, Jaderick (University of the Philippines Los Baños) |
| Abstract: | In this study, we examined the implications of critical road segment failures on the timely evacuation of Borongan City residents, specifically focusing on the elderly demographics who face unique mobility challenges during emergencies. Building upon our prior work (Pabico, 2024), which utilized isochrone mapping to analyze accessibility, we broaden our approach to examine the impact of critical road segment failures on access to evacuation centers during disaster scenarios. By utilizing network analysis, we simulated potential road segment disruptions to determine the increased evacuation times for affected populations. Our criticality assessment identified those road segments whose failures would lead to significant delays, emphasizing their influence on evacuation efficiency for elderly residents, who represent the slowest-moving demographic and are therefore highly vulnerable in emergencies. Through this analysis, we not only highlight potential bottlenecks but also propose actionable insights for targeted disaster risk reduction strategies, including alternate route planning and prioritization of road maintenance in critical areas. Our findings underscore the need for integrative disaster risk reduction and management planning in Borongan City. We aim to provide local governments and emergency planners with evidence-based recommendations for improving evacuation infrastructure, optimizing emergency response protocols, and enhancing overall community resilience. Ultimately, we advocate for prioritizing vulnerable populations in evacuation planning to ensure that all residents, particularly the elderly, have timely access to safe evacuation centers during disasters. |
| Date: | 2025–02–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:s72zg_v1 |
| By: | Merli, M. Giovanna |
| Abstract: | We describe the heterogeneity of the Chinese immigrant population in France and investigate how immigrants’ diverse patterns of social integration predict perceptions of racism, using survey data and in-depth interviews collected during the COVID-19 outbreak, a period during which anti-Chinese and anti-Asian xenophobia and racism were activated. Our unique data, collected for the Chinese Immigrants in the Paris Region (ChIPRe) Study, enable a classification of Chinese immigrants at the intersection of their migration histories, socio-demographic profiles, broad social integration indicators, and attributes of their social ties that characterize distinct patterns of social interaction with co-ethnics and with the wider French society. Our classification highlights three distinct groups: an established ethnic enclave of Wenzhou Chinese, an immigrant underclass whose members arrived in France after the dismantling of China’s centrally planned economy, and successive cohorts of international students, many of whom have gained professional employment in France or intend to stay in France after graduation from institutions of higher education. These distinct immigrant profiles predict different frequencies of subjective experiences of racism that are not attributable to the conventional predictors of racism perceptions alone and add nuance to the discrepancy between conventional social integration indicators and discrimination and racism found among the main immigrant groups and their children in many European countries. |
| Date: | 2024–09–18 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:24zqd_v1 |
| By: | Jonas Feld (IAAEU; University of Trier); Joanna Tyrowicz (Group for Research in Applied Economics (GRAPE); University of Warsaw; Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)) |
| Abstract: | We provide novel evidence on the inequality of returns to immigrant skills in hosting economies. Although migrant wage gaps are well established in the literature, less is known about the origins of their heterogeneity. We propose a potential rationale for this gap related to the linguistic proximity between the destination and origin countries. We exploit individual-level data from nine diverse destination countries, with migrants from a highly heterogeneous group of origin countries, for both recent and long-term migrants. We find that lower linguistic proximity between origin and destination is associated with a higher average wage penalty for highly skilled migrants and a substantially lower position in the wage distribution. |
| Keywords: | migration, linguistic proximity, returns to education |
| JEL: | F22 I23 I26 Z13 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fme:wpaper:102 |
| By: | Rodier, Caroline; Gibb, John; Zhang, Yunwan |
| Abstract: | Since the 1970s, stakeholders have expressed concerns about the ability of transportation travel demand used by metropolitan planning organizations to represent induced travel from expanded highway capacity. Failure to adequately represent induced travel will underestimate vehicle miles traveled and congestion when comparing scenarios with and without highway capacity expansion. To examine the magnitude of potential biases, the authors use the state-of-the-practice transportation demand model, the Sacramento Council of Governments (SACOG) SACSIM19 model, to examine (1) the model's representation of induced travel, (2) the influence of variation in key inputs on vehicle travel and roadway congestions, and (3) the effect of changes in induced travel-related input variables on the comparisons of scenarios with and without highway expansions. View the NCST Project Webpage |
| Keywords: | Social and Behavioral Sciences, Travel demand forecasting, induced travel, policy analysis |
| Date: | 2025–02–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt0jc0v1gn |
| By: | Smeets, Chayenne; Cebotari, Victor |
| Abstract: | This study uses longitudinal data to examine the educational performance—specifically self-reported grades in Science, English, and Mathematics—of male and female students in Ghana whose parents have either moved within the country or abroad. The study analyzes responses from 741 secondary school students over the years 2013, 2014, and 2015. Findings indicate that boys with at least one parent living internationally often attain grades that are similar to or better than those of their counterparts from non-migrant families. On the other hand, girls from migrant families typically do not exhibit significant differences in grades compared to girls from non-migrant backgrounds. A key risk factor highlighted in the study is the detrimental effect of parental divorce or separation on the academic outcomes of children from migrant families. |
| Date: | 2024–12–14 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:b6sz9_v1 |
| By: | Daniel, Lyrian; Lang, Michaela; Barlow, Cynthia; Phibbs, Peter; Baker, Emma; Hamilton, Ian |
| Abstract: | Housing that is in poor physical condition has direct negative health impacts for occupants, is more expensive to run and reduces Australia’s ability to mitigate and adapt to climate change. This research investigates what is needed to lift the quality of Australian housing to align with international standards so as to address problems associated with aged and ill-performing housing stock in both the owned and rented sectors. The research explores different strategies for improving housing through voluntary programs and mandatory legislation, and found: a national strategy to improve residential building quality should be developed mandatory disclosure of dwelling energy performance could improve how markets consider the performance of houses offered for sale or lease more appropriate accounting methods of the benefits provided by improved housing standards are needed. To improve the building quality of Australian housing stock, it is important to investigate how and why governments make policy about the quality of Australian housing stock. Change is difficult because of both the challenges of getting government attention and pressure from strong property industry lobbyists, but it is not impossible. One of the sharp lessons from the case studies is that having research evidence is not enough; change needs key elements such as building a convincing narrative to tell a plausible story of a social problem (including coverage of the evidence in the popular media) together with a ‘coalition of support’. A national strategy to improve residential building quality should be developed and include the following regulatory mechanisms: improved performance standards for new houses; mandatory disclosure of dwelling energy performance; and minimum housing standards for the rental sector. |
| Date: | 2024–09–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:6592m_v1 |
| By: | Mitchell, Ross E. |
| Abstract: | The FY 2024 HMIS Data Standards (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2024), which were implemented on October 1, 2023, across the Los Angeles Continuum of Care (LA CoC), introduced a fundamental change to how persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) may claim their racial and ethnic identities. No longer are race (American Indian/Alaska Native/Indigenous, Asian/Asian American, Black/African American/African, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, White) and Hispanic/Latina/e/o ethnicity recorded separately. Instead, they are all options from which one or more may be claimed as an ethnoracial identity, and they include an additional Middle Eastern/North African category among the list of options. It is no longer necessary to claim or reject a racial category for oneself to claim a solely Hispanic/Latina/e/o ethnic identity, which means that the current and prior schemes for ethnoracial identity are neither equivalent nor directly comparable. |
| Date: | 2024–11–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:zemr5_v1 |
| By: | González-Leonardo, Miguel |
| Abstract: | Background: Spanish migration sources are widely used by researchers and international organisations. Thus, consistent time-series are crucial. In 2021, the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) replaced the Residential Variation Statistics (EVR) and the Migration Statistics (EM) with the new Change of Residence and Migration Statistics, which included methodological changes. Objective: I evaluate differences between the EMCR and previous sources and produce weights to make the EMCR consistent with the EVR and EM. I publish the weights in an open repository (https://github.com/MiguelGonzalezLeonardo/Weights_EMCR_Spain). Methods: I analyse the percentage differences for internal and international migration between the EMCR and the previous sources at NUTS 2 and NUTS 3 levels in 2021, the only year when the three sources were published simultaneously. I then produce weights by dividing the migration counts from the EVR and EM by those from the EMCR for each spatial unit. Results: I found strong differences between the new source and the previous sources for international migration, especially for emigration, which needs to be calibrated with the weights. The EMCR and EVR register similar numbers of internal migrants. Conclusions: Methodological changes in statistical sources can lead to large differences in the measurement of a social phenomenon. This suggests the need to assess time-series consistency and produce weights for calibration. Contribution: I provide open data with weights to calibrate internal and international migration in the new Spanish migration source and produce consistent time-series with previous sources at different scales. The weights can be used by researchers from different countries and international organisations. |
| Date: | 2025–02–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:cg4qy_v1 |
| By: | Cremaschi, Marco; Vitale, Tommaso Prof (Sciences Po) |
| Abstract: | An examination of public space provides insights into the disconnection between regulation and reception within the Parisian context. The visibility of refugees in public spheres has been instrumental in heightening civic consciousness in Paris. Simultaneously, it serves as a subject of political apprehension and an opportunity for the display of state-inflicted violence by humanitarian NGOs, too. The governance of public open spaces extends beyond traditional command and control approaches, emphasizing delegation, integration of new knowledge and technologies, negotiation, and self-regulation. The central concern involves an evolving, albeit ambiguous and partially contradictory, process of outsourcing certain aspects of reception policies without a well-experienced governance mode (Artioli, Le Galès, 2023). The first section describes the relevant social geography of Paris. Social transformations due to deindustrialization have left a lasting impact, concentrating immigrant populations in areas marked by blue-collar workers and social housing estates. While Paris actively engages in social and redistributive policies, achieving a balanced geographical distribution for diverse social groups remains a challenge. The ensuing section delineates the social policy responsibilities of both central and local institutions, against the backdrop of which the handling of refugees has transformed into a separate specific policy domain. Despite ongoing collaboration in Paris, challenges endure due to the stance of the French government and the inadequate coordination within the EU. The following three sections analyse the role of space in framing the reception policies of Paris, paying reference to different ways of framing the space: - The so-called ‘Project Territories’ of the EU Structural Funds exhibit a progressive drift where coalitions of territorial actors reinterpret national rules following their competencies (and expertise). - Locally managed reception comes to a standstill in the face of state normative injunctions. - Government authorities and local actors consciously use space for repressive purposes, even to manage conflicts between potentially incompatible uses. The conclusions deal with the evolving landscape of local reception policies driven by state and non-state actors. Despite innovative efforts, there is a lack of coherence, and central dispersion policies (Dollet, 2023) contradict local commitments, raising questions about the role of local governance. However, the cyclical coming and going between the dismantling of refugee camps and sheltering asylum seekers question the notion and scope of integration, highlighting the porous boundary between formal and informal regulations. Besides, the design of policies cannot underestimate the role of space in shaping welcoming practices. |
| Date: | 2024–11–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:z2dur_v1 |
| By: | Khandelwal, Vatsal; Chacha, Peter W.; Verena Christina Wiedemann; Kirui, Benard K. |
| Abstract: | The spatial configuration of domestic supply chains plays a crucial role in the transmission of shocks. This paper investigates the representativeness of formal firm-to-firm trade data in capturing overall domestic trade patterns in Kenya — a context with a high prevalence of informal economic activity. It first documents a series of stylized facts and shows that informal economic activity is not randomly distributed across space and sectors, with a higher incidence of informality in downstream sectors and smaller regional markets. The paper then links granular transaction-level data on formal firms with data on informal economic activity to estimate a structural model and predict a counterfactual network that accounts for informal firms. The findings show that formal sector data overstates the spatial concentration of aggregate trade flows and under accounts for trade within regions and across regions with stronger social ties. Additionally, the higher the informality in a sector and region is, the more formal sector data underestimates its vulnerability to domestic output shocks and overestimate its vulnerability to import shocks. |
| Date: | 2024–09–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10932 |
| By: | Klein, Nicholas J. (Conrell University); Brown, Anne (University of Oregon); Howell, Amanda; Smart, Michael J. (Rutgers University) |
| Abstract: | How and why do zero-car households seek car access? We used a national online survey of 830 American adults and interviews with twenty-nine low- and moderate-income travelers about their car access behaviors to answer this question. We validated our findings with the 2017 National Household Travel Survey. Respondents got rides, borrowed cars, and used ride-hail to access grocery trips, social/recreational activities, and medical care. While most interviewees intend to purchase a vehicle in the future, they also desire better transit, suggesting that households without cars do not necessarily prefer car ownership. |
| Date: | 2024–09–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:4ngtr_v1 |
| By: | Scopacasa, Rafael |
| Abstract: | The mountain communities of late-first millennium BC Italy have been regarded as non-urban societies that reverted to city life mainly owing to Roman intervention. A growing body of archaeological evidence is uncovering the diversity of settlement forms and dynamics in the region’s pre-Roman past, which included sites encompassing a range of functions and social agents. This article presents an indepth, microscale analysis of one such site, Monte Vairano in Samnium, drawing on perspectives from comparative urbanism. Monte Vairano developed urban characteristics such as a complex socioeconomic profile and political cohesion, as well as potentially more unique features such as an apparently balanced distribution of wealth. These results can shed further light on the diversity of ancient urbanization and its sociopolitical implications in late-first millennium BC Italy and the Mediterranean. |
| Date: | 2024–09–16 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:fkh4d_v1 |
| By: | Kyle Fee |
| Abstract: | Using a common reduced-form regional growth model framework, an expanded geographic classification of counties, additional years of data, a trio of income inequality metrics, and multiple empirical specifications, this analysis confirms and builds upon the notion that the nature of the relationship between income inequality and economic growth varies across geography (Fallah and Partridge, 2007). A positive relationship between an income Gini coefficient and per capita income growth is observed only in central metro counties with population densities greater than 915 people per square mile or in about 5 percent of all counties, whereas previous research found a positive relationship in all metropolitan counties (27 percent of counties) and a negative relationship in nonmetropolitan counties. Where inequality is in the distribution is also shown to impact this relationship. Inequality in the top and bottom halves of the income distribution has a positive relationship with growth within this 5 percent of counties. However, in most locations (the other 95 percent of the counties), inequality in the bottom half of the income distribution has either no statistical relationship with growth or a positive relationship, while inequality in the top half of the income distribution tends to have a negative relationship. These patterns are relatively stable over time but tend to not be robust to the inclusion of county fixed effects. These results provide some evidence that the mechanisms explaining how this relationship varies across places are more likely associated with agglomeration and market incentives rather than social cohesion. This analysis also highlights the need for a robust research agenda focused on further refining the growth model along with incorporating new data sources and concepts of income inequality. |
| Keywords: | income inequality; regional growth; income Gini coefficient |
| JEL: | R11 O40 O18 D31 |
| Date: | 2025–02–18 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedcwq:99562 |
| By: | Lepinteur, Anthony; Menta, Giorgia; Waltl, Sofie |
| Abstract: | We presented participants to an online study in Luxembourg with fictitious real-estate advertisements, tasking them to appraise the described properties. A random subset was also shown sellers’ surnames, strongly framed to signal their origins. All else equal, sellers with sub- Saharan African surnames were systematically offered lower prices – amounting to an appraisal penalty of EUR 20, 000. This figure is highly heterogeneous and can amount up to around EUR 58, 000 for older and low-educated participants. We provide evidence that the appraisal bias likely passes through onto final sales prices and that it may be largely due to statistical rather than taste- based discrimination. |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wus005:71231357 |
| By: | Moskos, Megan; Milligan, Vivienne; Benedict, Richard; Habibis, Daphne; Isherwood, Linda; van den Nouwelant, Ryan |
| Abstract: | What this research is about: this research looked at how Indigenous housing is managed, funded and regulated in Australia. It looked at ways to support Indigenous Australians in making their own decisions about their housing. This research report is part of the AHURI Inquiry into developing a long-term governance and resource framework for sustainable and effective Indigenous housing. The research uses the term ‘Indigenous’ to refer to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia. Why this research is important: the research provides a comprehensive overview of the current Indigenous housing system in Australia. Understanding Indigenous housing requirements is vital for developing future policies. |
| Date: | 2025–02–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:tucv4_v1 |
| By: | Pkhikidze, Nino |
| Abstract: | Good road infrastructure decreases travel time and improves accessibility to urban areas. Improved rural-urban linkages could also affect rural employment through decreased time and travel costs. To study this link, the paper analyzes the impact of good quality roads on agricultural and non-agricultural jobs in Armenia, using different sets of data and different methodological approaches. To address endogeneity and reverse causality issues of road quality, the paper uses a historical instrumental variable obtained by digitizing historical roads which were mainly used for military purposes - from a military-topographic map of the Caucasus from 1903. The results show that a shorter distance to a good quality road has a statistically significant positive impact on overall non-agricultural employment for men and women, increasing the likelihood of cash-earning jobs for rural women and skilled manual and non-seasonal employment for rural men. People are more likely to work outside their villages and work for more hours if they have access to good quality roads. The results are robust from the analysis of Demographic and Health Survey as well as the Integrated Living Conditions Survey of Armenia. |
| Date: | 2024–07–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10847 |
| By: | Benjamin Dennis; Gurubala Kotta; Caroline Norris |
| Abstract: | The correlation of the spatial distribution of banking exposures with changes in spatial patterns of economic activity (e.g., internal migration, changes in agglomeration patterns, climate change, etc.) may have financial stability implications. We therefore study the spatial distribution of large U.S. banks' commercial and industrial (C&I) lending portfolios. We construct a novel dataset that augments FR Y-14Q regulatory data with borrower microdata for a more granular understanding of where banks' exposures are located by looking beyond headquarters to the location of facilities. We find that banks are exposed to almost all U.S. counties, with clustered exposure in certain geographies. We then use our dataset for a climate-related application by analyzing what fraction of C&I loans have been extended to firms that operate in areas vulnerable to physical risks, identifying, for example, counties where both (i) banks are highly exposed via their lending portfolios, and (ii) physical risks have historically resulted in large losses. Results of this kind can help inform risk management and be used to improve resilience to future stresses. |
| Keywords: | Bank lending to firms; Climate risks; Mapping of firm facilities; Spatial lending patterns |
| JEL: | R32 R11 Q54 G21 |
| Date: | 2025–01–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedgfe:2025-06 |
| By: | Asim, Salman; Gera, Ravinder Madron Casley |
| Abstract: | This paper presents evidence of the impact of a five-year package of interconnected interventions intended to improve learning environments in eight disadvantaged districts in Malawi. The intervention, which was implemented over five years, provided additional finance to schools to support the hiring of additional teachers and construction of learning shelters to improve class sizes in lower primary, along with constructing classrooms and providing results-based finance to reward improvements in staffing. The interventions were targeted to eight districts with longstanding disadvantages in staffing, learning environments, and learning outcomes, particularly for girls. Employing administrative data and data from a nationally representative independent sample of public primary schools, the analysis finds that these investments closed the gap in learning outcomes between the targeted districts and the rest of Malawi. There is also suggestive evidence that the program reduced learning gaps between girls and boys. The findings suggest that even in a low-income environment with significant constraints, targeted efforts to reduce class sizes can close district-level gaps in learning. |
| Date: | 2024–07–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10845 |
| By: | Guillermo Javier Vuletin; James Sampi; J.T. Araujo |
| Abstract: | This paper examines how the concentration of large firms influences the fiscal multiplier effects of public investment in transport infrastructure. Using data from 1, 891 Peruvian municipalities and firm-level information, the analysis exploits a quasi-experimental setting stemming from an exogenous change in the Municipality Compensation Fund in 2010, Peru's primary fiscal transfer mechanism from the central government to subnational authorities. The findings show that public investment generates a positive fiscal multiplier four years after implementation, with a temporary adjustment occurring two years earlier. The multiplier is significantly higher in municipalities with a greater concentration of large firms, highlighting the role of firm concentration in amplifying fiscal shocks. These results suggest that fiscal resources may be more effectively targeted to municipalities with a higher concentration of large firms, where the impact of public investment is stronger, and that policies promoting firm growth can enhance the effectiveness of fiscal policy by increasing the multiplier. |
| Date: | 2024–12–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10997 |
| By: | Bazzi, Samuel; Hilmy, Masyhur; Marx, Benjamin; Mahvish Ifrah Shaukat; Stegmann, Andreas |
| Abstract: | In many countries, local governments struggle with inefficiency and corruption, often perpetuated by entrenched elites. This paper explores how leadership changes affect bureaucratic performance at the local level by combining detailed personnel surveys with a regression discontinuity design in a large sample of Indonesian villages. The findings show that turnovers in village elections revitalize local bureaucracies, disrupt nepotistic networks, and improve local government performance. Bureaucrats under new leadership become more engaged, receive higher pay, and are less likely to be tied to past or present village officials, resulting in a more responsive bureaucracy that interacts more frequently with citizens and better understands their needs. This leads to higher levels of public service provision, measured in both administrative data and surveys conducted with citizens. Together, these findings suggest that leadership changes can mitigate elite capture and improve governance at the grassroots level. |
| Date: | 2024–09–19 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10920 |
| By: | Koetter, Michael; Noth, Felix; Wöbbeking, Carl Fabian |
| Abstract: | We study whether and how EU banks comply with tighter macroprudential policy (MPP). Observing contractual details for more than one million securitized loans, we document an elusive risk-shifting response by EU banks in reaction to tighter loan-to-value (LTV) restrictions between 2009 and 2022. Our staggered difference-in-differences reveals that banks respond to these MPP measures at the portfolio level by issuing new loans after LTV shocks that are smaller, have shorter maturities, and show a higher collateral valuation while holding constant interest rates. Instead of contracting aggregate lending as intended by tighter MPP, banks increase the number and total volume of newly issued loans. Importantly, new loans finance especially properties in less liquid markets identified by a new European Real Estate Index (EREI), which we interpret as a novel, elusive form of risk-shifting. |
| Keywords: | European Real Estate Index, LTV, macroprudential policy, risk shifting |
| JEL: | H30 R00 R31 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:iwhdps:311202 |
| By: | Esch, Thomas; Klaus W. Deininger; Jedwab, Remi; Palacios-Lopez, Daniela |
| Abstract: | The developing world has built structures on an unprecedented scale to accommodate population growth and urbanization. The horizontal and vertical structuring of the building stock resulting from this “megatrend construction” strongly influences urban and rural poverty, sustainability, resilience, and quality of life. However, due to data constraints, little is known about how and why 3D building patterns vary globally and in the developing world in particular. This study uncovers novel facts on global 3D building patterns as a result of outward and upward preferences in construction and investigates their relationship to the development process. To this end, new high-resolution data on the area, height, and volume of the global building stock are combined with various analyses undertaken at different spatial domains. The results show that building stock per capita increases convexly with income, but income only explains two-thirds of the differences in international volume. Additionally, while building upward systematically drives international volume differences, low-rise buildings still dominate construction patterns. Urbanization tends to reduce space consumption per capita as urban residents consume less volume than rural residents. Finally, the analyses of construction preferences may help to assess construction needs by forecasting volume requirements in developing Africa, Asia and Latin America. |
| Date: | 2024–08–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10866 |
| By: | Carolina Castaldi |
| Abstract: | Mapping innovation in space is part and parcel of research on the geography of innovation. The maps we produce reflect both how we conceptualize innovation and the data and indicators we choose to measure it. They can shape research directions and policy strategies. As research on the geography of innovation expands, this paper asks the question: How do innovation maps reflect these evolving perspectives? |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:egu:wpaper:2505 |
| By: | Bracke, Philippe (Bank of England); Everitt, Matthew (Bank of England); Fazio, Martina (Bank of England); Varadi, Alexandra (Bank of England) |
| Abstract: | This study examines how UK mortgagors adjusted their spending and saving habits in response to the post-2021 monetary tightening, highlighting the interplay between collateral‑driven borrowing and the cash-flow channel of monetary policy. Unlike in markets with long-term fixed-rate mortgages, UK mortgagors face heightened exposure to interes rate shifts due to periodic refinancing requirements. By combining transaction-level data from a financial app with loan-level records, we create a detailed and representative view of UK mortgagors’ monthly balance sheets from 2021 to 2023. This allows us to explore how mortgage modifications – particularly equity extraction and term extensions – shapes household responses to rising borrowing costs. Our findings reveal stark heterogeneity: households leveraging equity extraction, enabled by nominal house price appreciation, offset higher mortgage payments and maintain or increase discretionary spending while reducing unsecured debts. Conversely, households unable or unwilling to adjust loans face significant spending cuts in response to higher rates. These results suggest that collateral-driven debt, amplified by rising property values and mortgage term extensions, can partially compensate for the cash-flow channel in driving consumption and financial behaviour during tightening cycles. This highlights the dual role of loan modifications: while mitigating immediate consumption declines, they may affect monetary policy transmission for some groups and contribute to more persistent borrowing. |
| Keywords: | Monetary policy; household behaviour; consumption; high-frequency data; difference-in-differences; panel data |
| JEL: | D14 E21 G51 |
| Date: | 2024–12–20 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:boe:boeewp:1105 |
| By: | Chen, Jia; Cui, Guowei; Sarafidis, Vasilis; Yamagata, Takashi |
| Abstract: | This paper develops a Mean Group Instrumental Variables (MGIV) estimator for spatial dynamic panel data models with interactive effects, under large N and T asymptotics. Unlike existing approaches that typically impose slope-parameter homogeneity, MGIV accommodates cross-sectional heterogeneity in slope coefficients. The proposed estimator is linear, making it computationally efficient and robust. Furthermore, it avoids the incidental parameters problem, enabling asymptotically valid inferences without requiring bias correction. The Monte Carlo experiments indicate strong finite-sample performance of the MGIV estimator across various sample sizes and parameter configurations. The practical utility of the estimator is illustrated through an application to regional economic growth in Europe. By explicitly incorporating heterogeneity, our approach provides fresh insights into the determinants of regional growth, underscoring the critical roles of spatial and temporal dependencies. |
| Keywords: | Dynamic panel data, spatial interactions, heterogeneous slopes, interactive effects, latent common factors, instrumental variables, large N and T asymptotics. |
| JEL: | C3 C33 C55 O47 |
| Date: | 2025–01–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:123497 |
| By: | Vivalt, Eva; Aidan Coville; KC, Sampada |
| Abstract: | How do policymakers value advice from local experts versus formal evidence from impact evaluations when making policy decisions? Using a discrete choice experiment conducted in collaboration with the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank, we show that policymakers were willing to accept a program that had a 5.0 percentage point smaller estimated effect on enrollment rates if it were recommended by a local expert. They also preferred programs supported by evidence from a different region over programs supported by local evaluations only if the former had a 5.8 percentage point higher estimated impact. These premiums are large, surpassing the effects of many programs aimed at improving enrollment rates. This highlights the substantial weight that policymakers place on local evidence. |
| Date: | 2024–12–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10994 |
| By: | Mohebbian, Mana |
| Abstract: | This report investigates the feasibility of developing a holistic indicator to assess and communicate the social sustainability and quality of life in Vancouver. Despite the availability of various specific metrics, there is a noted absence of a comprehensive framework that integrates these metrics to provide a singular, actionable view of the city's progress towards its social sustainability goals. The City of Vancouver currently employs 45 population-level indicators under its Healthy City Strategy, demonstrating the city's commitment to transparent and data-driven governance. However, these indicators, while effective individually, do not collectively provide a complete picture of the city's overall health across various dimensions such as public health, housing, education, and environmental sustainability. The aim of this research was to identify a holistic indicator that encompasses multiple dimensions of social sustainability to simplify assessments and improve strategic planning. Through a desktop review of 70 existing indicators and consultations with experts, two models were identified as particularly promising: the Greater London Authority's (GLA) Wellbeing and Sustainability Measure, and the City of Calgary's Equity Index (CEI). These models offer robust frameworks that prioritize equity, accessibility, and stakeholder involvement, aligning closely with Vancouver's urban development goals. This work highlights the need for an overarching metric that reflects the interdependencies among various domains, ensuring that progress in one area does not undermine another. By leveraging insights from this research, Vancouver can enhance its policy implementation and community engagement, moving closer to achieving a balanced and sustainable urban environment. The proposed holistic indicator will also support the city in benchmarking against other urban centers and refining its strategic initiatives based on quantifiable metrics. |
| Date: | 2024–11–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:dmqbr_v1 |
| By: | Muhammad Sukri Bin Ramli |
| Abstract: | This study examines the relationship between income inequality, gender, and school completion rates in Malaysia using machine learning techniques. The dataset utilized is from the Malaysia's Public Sector Open Data Portal, covering the period 2016-2022. The analysis employs various machine learning techniques, including K-means clustering, ARIMA modeling, Random Forest regression, and Prophet for time series forecasting. These models are used to identify patterns, trends, and anomalies in the data, and to predict future school completion rates. Key findings reveal significant disparities in school completion rates across states, genders, and income levels. The analysis also identifies clusters of states with similar completion rates, suggesting potential regional factors influencing educational outcomes. Furthermore, time series forecasting models accurately predict future completion rates, highlighting the importance of ongoing monitoring and intervention strategies. The study concludes with recommendations for policymakers and educators to address the observed disparities and improve school completion rates in Malaysia. These recommendations include targeted interventions for specific states and demographic groups, investment in early childhood education, and addressing the impact of income inequality on educational opportunities. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of the factors influencing school completion in Malaysia and provide valuable insights for policymakers and educators to develop effective strategies to improve educational outcomes. |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2501.18868 |
| By: | Danièle Patier (LAET - Laboratoire Aménagement Économie Transports - UL2 - Université Lumière - Lyon 2 - ENTPE - École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Laila Abdelhai (LAET - Laboratoire Aménagement Économie Transports - UL2 - Université Lumière - Lyon 2 - ENTPE - École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) |
| Abstract: | The scarcity and price of land in the city had led to the remoteness of logistics activities, with low added value, to the large outskirts of the cities. Recently, the Covid crisis, the alarming geopolitical context, ecological disasters have led to a change in purchasing behavior, the explosion of e-commerce. The fragility of our production and supply systems has led to the paralysis of a large part of our economic activities. Today, despite the scarcity of space and the cost of land, new innovative logistics spaces are making a comeback in city centers. The aim of this article is to analyze: - The relevance of new logistics space concepts to meet new expectations - How their integration into the categories of identified logistics spaces completes the network of the territory - The conditions of their return to the heart of the city despite the urban, economic and ecological constraints imposed by the European Climate Plan - The limits and opportunities of new concepts - To enrich the nomenclature of Urban Logistics Spaces by taking into account their radius of action, their functionality and the mode of management. This paper is based on the results of works, carried out within the framework of European urban logistics projects and the French national program Urban Goods Movements", which have given rise to numerous publications. |
| Keywords: | Urban logistics space, Sustainable goods distribution, New urban logistics concepts |
| Date: | 2023–07–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-04570628 |
| By: | Brice Fabre (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, IPP - Institut des politiques publiques); Marc Sangnier (UNamur - Université de Namur [Namur], AMSE - Aix-Marseille Sciences Economiques - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - ECM - École Centrale de Marseille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) |
| Abstract: | This paper uses French data to simultaneously estimate the impact of two types of connections on government subsidies allocated to municipalities. Investigating different types of connection in a same setting helps to distinguish between the different motivations that could drive pork-barreling. We differentiate between municipalities where ministers held office before their appointment to the government and those where they lived as children. Exploiting ministers' entries into and exits from the government, we show that municipalities where a minister was mayor receive 30% more investment subsidies when the politician they are linked to joins the government, and a similar size decrease when the minister departs. In contrast, we do not observe these outcomes for municipalities where ministers lived as children. These findings indicate that altruism toward childhood friends and family does not fuel pork-barreling, and suggest that altruism toward adulthood social relations or career concerns matter. We also present complementary evidence suggesting that observed porkbarreling is the result of soft influence of ministers, rather than of their formal control over the administration they lead.✩ This paper was previously circulated under the titles ''What motivates French pork: Political career concerns or private connections?'' and ''The returns from private and political connections: New evidence from French municipalities''. We greatly appreciated comments and suggestions from three anonymous reviewers, the Editor, |
| Keywords: | Local favoritism, Distributive politics, Political connections, Personal connections |
| Date: | 2024–12–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:pseptp:hal-04930928 |
| By: | Philip Mulder; Yanjun Liao |
| Abstract: | This paper finds that low home equity reduces the flood insurance demand of flood-exposed borrowers (Working Paper no. 24-06). |
| Keywords: | climate risk, disaster insurance, household finance, home equity, housing cycles, implicit insurance |
| Date: | 2024–07–24 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ofr:wpaper:24-06 |
| By: | Gharad T. Bryan; Kyra Frye; Melanie Morten |
| Abstract: | Research at the intersection of development and spatial economics is increasingly important to address pressing issues in rapidly-urbanizing cities in low- and middle- income countries. This handbook chapter presents the canonical spatial model and then explores it through the lens of development economics, pointing out the "on-the-ground" facts of missing markets, frictions, and context-specific parameters that are often absent in applications of the model. We then discuss what the existing literature and the spatial model tell us about the optimal allocation of labor across space. We close by highlighting exciting possibilities for future work that integrates the spatial model with the reality of low- and middle-income countries. |
| JEL: | O18 R0 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33453 |
| By: | Mohit Sharma and (Ph.D. scholar, Madras School of Economics, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, 600025); Brinda Viswanathan (Professor, Madras School of Economics, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, 600025) |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the minimum wage effect on the transitions of men and women workers from covered to uncovered sector as well as to unemployment and out of labour force. Using border discontinuity design, first differencing and the individual level panel data for the urban region for the years 2017-18 to 2022-23, and novel data on more than 1800 minimum wages, this paper finds that an increase in minimum wage results in transition of women workers out of the covered sector, however, for male workers this paper finds null employment transitions effects. The study on heterogenous effects reveal that the results are primarily driven by low-skilled female workers belonging to the regions of high labour market concentration where 10 percent increase in minimum wage result in a fall in probability that a worker remains in covered sector by 1.5 percent. Contrary to this, we find favorable labour market conditions for low-skilled male workers in the regions of high labour market concentration. The results are robust to various specification choices. |
| Keywords: | Minimum Wage, Employment transitions, Gender, India |
| JEL: | J16 J3 J42 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mad:wpaper:2025-276 |
| By: | Sochas, Laura; Chanfreau, Jenny |
| Abstract: | Large local government spending cuts in England, spanning over a decade of austerity politics, have severely restricted the universal services and public goods that shape parenting environments. Drawing on the Reproductive Justice framework, we ask whether restricting the right to parent in safe and healthy environments impinged on the right to have children. To do so, we introduce a new quantitative approach for “thinking with” Reproductive Justice. Using nationally representative UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) data and a within-between random effects model, we analyse whether local government spending cuts were associated with intersectional inequalities in childbearing over the 2010-2020 period. We find that local government spending cuts significantly decreased the probability of having a(nother) birth for women in the poorest households, by 9.1%, but not for women in the middle or richest households. Further, racially minoritised women across income categories were much more likely to live in local authorities that suffered substantial cuts. Although austerity policies may not have directly restricted people’s biological capacity to conceive, our findings show that local government austerity cuts unequally restricted the right to have children. |
| Date: | 2024–09–26 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:894p3_v1 |
| By: | Stanley, Zofia C.; Topaz, Chad M. |
| Abstract: | Opportunity youth—individuals aged 16 to 24 who are disconnected from education and employment due to significant barriers—constitute a sizable yet underserved demographic whose marginalization leads to substantial social and economic costs. This paper demonstrates how data science can be harnessed for social good by mapping the distribution of opportunity youth across different regions. We develop an Opportunity Youth Index by integrating fragmented data from sources such as the American Community Survey, the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, FBI Crime Data, and Bureau of Justice Statistics incarceration reports. Focusing on four key indicators—disconnected youth, youth in foster care, justice-impacted youth, and children with an incarcerated parent—we employ statistical methods and computational techniques to estimate local concentrations of opportunity youth. The resulting index provides insights for policymakers and community organizations, highlighting areas where targeted interventions can make the most impact. This work illustrates the potential of data science to address complex social issues and is presented in an accessible manner to engage a younger audience. |
| Date: | 2024–11–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:anwtf_v1 |
| By: | Abreha, Kaleb; Rafael Amaral Ornelas; Gabriel Roberto Zaourak |
| Abstract: | This paper examines whether labor productivity converged across Brazil’s states (“departments”) between 2002 and 2018. The results show strong evidence of unconditional convergence in which states with lower levels of initial labor productivity experienced substantially faster labor productivity growth. The convergence rate was faster over 2002–10 compared to 2010–18 period and particularly strong in agriculture, extractives, and manufacturing. These findings of the regional convergence are robust to controlling for state and industry fixed effects, states’ initial poverty rates, human capital, tax collection per capita, and infrastructure. Given the high disparity in labor productivity across Brazil’s states, such regional convergence has the potential to raise aggregate productivity and per capita income. |
| Date: | 2024–09–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10904 |
| By: | Lisa Martin; Mr. Christopher S Adam; Douglas Gollin |
| Abstract: | We develop a spatial dynamic general equilibrium model of a small open agricultural economy to study the impact of global food, fuel and fertilizer price shocks on consumption patterns of heterogeneous households located in different regions, under alternative fiscal responses, including direct price subsidies and household transfers. We show strong spatial heterogeneity in response to shocks, with associated implications for welfare. In particular, while urban households’ consumption baskets are more exposed to the direct effects of global food price shocks, remote rural households’ production and consumption are more exposed to supply-side dislocations associated with shocks to fuel and fertilizer prices. |
| Keywords: | Spatial General Equilibrium; Import Price Shocks; Household Heterogeneity; Food Security; Fiscal Policy |
| Date: | 2025–02–14 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2025/039 |
| By: | Maertens, Annemie; Siddharth Sharma; Khamis, Melanie |
| Abstract: | Internal migration and structural transformation are strongly interrelated. This paper uses Indian data spanning 2001–13 to examine a little-known aspect of this relationship: how migration affects agricultural land rental contracts. Building on anecdotal evidence and theory, the paper hypothesizes that as landlords migrate away, their choice of contract for tenant-cultivators changes from sharecropping to fixed rent. Using a shift-share instrument that exploits information on bilateral migration flows between districts, the paper shows that migration increased fixed rent tenancy and contract formalization. Given the continued importance of agricultural land rental markets, these findings have significant implications for rural efficiency and equity in developing countries. |
| Date: | 2024–08–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10865 |
| By: | Balia, S.;; Brau, R.;; Pau, S.; |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the population health effects of Italian Local Health Authorities' consolidation. The reform centralized administrative functions and expanded the scale of health service provision, creating entities with larger catchment areas. Using an event-study Difference-in Differences design, we estimate the policy's impact on municipal mortality rates, accounting for heterogeneous treatment effects. Results reveal a significant increase in mortality rates starting four years after implementation, with an average 1.8% rise in total mortality observed over the following five years. Deaths from preventable conditions among individuals aged 0-74 disproportionately explain this increase. The adverse effects were primarily concentrated in municipalities within absorbed LHAs. Evidence indicates that expected economies of scale failed to improve health outcomes; instead, the reform imposed considerable health costs, particularly in municipalities belonging to larger LHDs and those with more extensive catchment area expansions. Moreover, we document that the effects were unevenly distributed, creating new vulnerable areas. |
| Keywords: | consolidation policy; local healthcare units; national health system; mortality; event-study; |
| JEL: | I11 I18 L38 G34 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:yor:hectdg:25/02 |
| By: | Jaller, Miguel PhD; Pahwa, Anmol PhD; Saphores, Jean-Daniel PhD; Hyland, Michael PhD |
| Abstract: | As online shopping nears its third decade, it is clear that its impacts on urban goods flow are profound. Increased freight traffic and related negative externalities such as greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution can impede sustainability goals. In response, e-retailers are exploring innovative distribution strategies to enhance last-mile delivery sustainability and efficiency. They use urban consolidation centers with light-duty vehicles like electric vans and cargo bikes, establish alternative customer pickup points, and deploy crowdsourced delivery networks. Advanced technologies that may streamline deliveries, such as autonomous delivery robots and unmanned aerial vehicles, are being tested. University of California Davis and Irvine researchers have investigated these strategies under economic viability, environmental efficiency, and social equity frameworks. Different modeling approaches were implemented to evaluate last-mile network designs and the potential for decarbonizing delivery fleets by switching to electric vehicles. Key findings suggest that while these innovative strategies offer substantial environmental benefits and reduce operational costs, they also present challenges like higher initial investments and operational hurdles. The study emphasizes the need for ongoing innovation and careful strategy implementation to balance sustainability with urban delivery systems’ economic and service reliability demands. |
| Keywords: | Engineering, First and last mile, electronic commerce, delivery service, delivery vehicles, electric vehicles, vehicle fleets, sustainable transportation, social equity |
| Date: | 2024–11–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt98x6z26j |
| By: | Antonin Bergeaud (CEPR - Center for Economic Policy Research, Centre de recherche de la Banque de France - Banque de France); Arthur Guillouzouic (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, IPP - Institut des politiques publiques, Sciences Po - Sciences Po) |
| Abstract: | Following Bergeaud et al. (2022), we construct a new measure of proximity between industrial sectors and public research laboratories. Using this measure, we explore the underlying network of knowledge linkages between scientific fields and industrial sectors in France. We show empirically that there exists a significant negative correlation between the geographical distance between firms and laboratories and their scientific proximity, suggesting strongly localized spillovers. Moreover, we uncover some important differences by field, stronger than when using standard patent-based measures of proximity. |
| Keywords: | Knowledge Spillovers, Technological Distance, Public Laboratories |
| Date: | 2024–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:pseptp:hal-04938250 |
| By: | Alpes, Maybritt Jill |
| Abstract: | The article examines how academics can mobilize their epistemic resources to engage with justice claims able to challenge border violence. Many migration scholars would like to find ways to mobilize their knowledge to resist migrants’ human rights violations. Despite increased focus on research impact, border violence is only increasing. On the one hand, policy makers do not act on scholarly recommendations that are highly critical, but not necessarily actionable. On the other hand, when scholarly recommendations are actionable, legal and policy changes do not necessarily result in meaningful improvements for refugees’ and other migrants’ dignity. As a result, there is a dichotomy between applied research that is not critical and critical research that is not actionable. Against this backdrop, this article explores how migration researchers can reclaim the meaning of impact and smuggle critique into the term. The article is based on auto-biographical explorations of what it means for an anthropologist to produce knowledge on migration from within law faculties and as policy officer and research consultant for human and refugee rights organizations. Based on this material, the article argues that migration scholars who seek justice should not produce more evidence, but rather take law seriously as a knowledge practice. The article develops three design principles for migration scholars who seek to resist in the short- and medium-term migration laws and policies that violate human right principles. First, build knowledge alliances with justice actors. Second, theorize knowledge needs in justice claims. Third, broker the validity of truth claims. |
| Date: | 2025–02–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:mzy8h_v2 |
| By: | Maciej Bukowski (University of Warsaw, Faculty of Economic Sciences); Michał Kowalski (University of Warsaw, Faculty of Economic Sciences); Marcin Wroński (Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies) |
| Abstract: | We provide the first estimate of the Polish national, regional and sectoral GDP in the interwar period. We find that the Polish economy's performance in the interwar period was much better than it was assumed before. In the years 1924 – 1938, the real GDP per capita increased by almost 40% or by 2.3% annually. As economic growth was stronger in the poorer regions significant regional convergence was achieved. Our results challenge the dominant narrative about the weak performance of the Polish economy in the interwar years. |
| Keywords: | economic history, Poland, Great Depression, regional convergence, economic growth |
| JEL: | N10 N14 N90 N94 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:war:wpaper:2025-03 |