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Homeownership and Entrepreneurship: The Role of Commitment and Mortgage Debt

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  • Bracke, Philippe

    (London School of Economics)

  • Hilber, Christian

    (London School of Economics)

  • Silva, Olmo

    (London School of Economics)

Abstract

We study the link between homeownership and entrepreneurship using a model of occupational choice and housing tenure where homeowners commit a fixed budget to mortgage payments. Our model predicts that: (i) mortgage commitments, by amplifying risk aversion, diminish the likelihood that homeowners start a business; (ii) the negative link between homeownership and entrepreneurship is increasing in mortgage debt; and (iii) the negative relation is more pronounced for entrepreneurs in risky sectors. Exploiting the longitudinal dimension of the British Household Panel Survey to control for unobservables, we test and confirm these predictions. Leveraged home-buyers are 30% less likely to become entrepreneurs.

Suggested Citation

  • Bracke, Philippe & Hilber, Christian & Silva, Olmo, 2013. "Homeownership and Entrepreneurship: The Role of Commitment and Mortgage Debt," IZA Discussion Papers 7417, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7417
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    Cited by:

    1. Christian A. L Hilber & Jan Rouwendal & Wouter Vermeulen, 2021. "Local economic conditions and the nature of new housing supply," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 21(3), pages 339-366.
    2. Konstantin A. Kholodilin & Sebastian Kohl & Tobias Niemeyer, 2019. "Steuerliche Instrumente der Wohneigentumsförderung," DIW Roundup: Politik im Fokus 132, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    3. Jensen, Thais Laerkholm & Leth-Petersen, Søren & Nanda, Ramana, 2022. "Financing constraints, home equity and selection into entrepreneurship," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(2), pages 318-337.
    4. Hilber, Christian A. L. & Schöni, Olivier, 2016. "Housing policies in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the United States: lessons learned," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 72818, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Daly, Moira, 2015. "The long term returns of attempting self-employment with regular employment as a fall back option," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 26-52.
    6. Faggio, Giulia & Silva, Olmo, 2014. "Self-employment and entrepreneurship in urban and rural labour markets," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 67-85.
    7. Weber, Jeremy G. & Key, Nigel D., 2013. "Does proprietor wealth influence small business decisions? Land appreciation and farm business borrowing, land ownership, and output," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 150408, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    8. Faggio, Giulia & Silva, Olmo, 2012. "Does self-employment measure entrepreneurship? evidence from Great Britain," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 57919, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    9. Mats Håkan Wilhelmsson, 2017. "The effect of house prices on business start-ups: A review and analysis using Swedish regional data," REGION, European Regional Science Association, vol. 4, pages 1-16.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    homeownership; entrepreneurship; commitment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • R21 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Housing Demand

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