TY - JOUR
T1 - The impact of housing subsidy cuts on the labour market outcomes of claimants
T2 - Evidence from England
AU - Borbely, Daniel
PY - 2022/9
Y1 - 2022/9
N2 - Housing subsidies are aimed at helping low-income individuals afford appropriate housing, but are costly to offer and, in the view of some experts and policy makers, reduce incentives for claimants to participate in the labour market. This paper investigates the labour market impacts of recent housing subsidy cuts in England that were aimed at encouraging labour market participation and increasing work effort among claimants. I utilise variation in exposure to the subsidy cuts within a difference-in-differences framework and find limited evidence at the individual-level that claimants increased employment and labour force participation in response to the subsidy cuts. Nonetheless, these findings lack robustness and aggregate-level evidence suggests that the subsidy cuts did not succeed in encouraging employment or participation among claimants. Overall, my results show that labour market responses to the subsidy cuts were likely preempted by a strong mobility response, whereby claimants moved into other parts of the rental market to maintain subsidy coverage.
AB - Housing subsidies are aimed at helping low-income individuals afford appropriate housing, but are costly to offer and, in the view of some experts and policy makers, reduce incentives for claimants to participate in the labour market. This paper investigates the labour market impacts of recent housing subsidy cuts in England that were aimed at encouraging labour market participation and increasing work effort among claimants. I utilise variation in exposure to the subsidy cuts within a difference-in-differences framework and find limited evidence at the individual-level that claimants increased employment and labour force participation in response to the subsidy cuts. Nonetheless, these findings lack robustness and aggregate-level evidence suggests that the subsidy cuts did not succeed in encouraging employment or participation among claimants. Overall, my results show that labour market responses to the subsidy cuts were likely preempted by a strong mobility response, whereby claimants moved into other parts of the rental market to maintain subsidy coverage.
KW - Housing subsidies
KW - Labour market behaviour
KW - Welfare programmes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85137123811&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jhe.2022.101859
DO - 10.1016/j.jhe.2022.101859
M3 - Article
SN - 1051-1377
VL - 57
JO - Journal of Housing Economics
JF - Journal of Housing Economics
M1 - 101859
ER -