Does Homeownership Reduce Crime? A Radical Housing Reform from the UK

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Disney, Richard; Gathergood, John; Machin, Stephen; Sandi, Matteo
• 署名单位: University of London; London School Economics & Political Science; University of London; London School Economics & Political Science; University of Sussex; University of Nottingham; University of London; London School Economics & Political Science; Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
• 刊物名称: ECONOMIC JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0013-0133
• DOI: 10.1093/ej/uead040
• 发表日期: 2023
• 页码: 2640-2675
• 关键词: gang injunctions; los-angeles; neighborhood; mobility; opportunity; youth; exposure; PROGRAMS; impacts; school

摘要

'Right to Buy', a large-scale natural experiment whereby incumbent tenants in public housing could buy properties at heavily subsidised prices, increased the United Kingdom homeownership rate by over 10 percentage points between its 1980 introduction and the 1990s. This paper studies the impact of this reform on crime by leveraging exogenous variation in eligibility for the policy. Results show that Right to Buy generated significant property crime reductions. Behavioural changes of incumbent tenants and renovation of public properties were the main drivers of this crime reduction. This is evidence of a novel means by which subsidised homeownership and housing policy can reduce criminality.