Neighborhood effects of housing program using Jeonse in Korea

Purpose - This study aims to introduce the Youth Jeonse Rental Housing Program using the unique characteristics of the Korean housing market to explain its theoretical value in the current theoretical landscape of public housing and to identify the effect of the program on the regional housing price. Design/methodology/approach - This study uses three hedonic price models on the basis of Korea’s housing market, namely, own, jeonse and rent models. Moreover, it uses the hierarchical linear model to include both house- and region-level variables. Findings - Analysis shows that youth rental housing has no effect on falling prices in the region unlike long-term rental housing. Thus, the policies using regional tenure system are more effective in the social mix than existing public housing policies. Originality/value - This study introduces the program using Korea’s unique tenure system called jeonse, arguing its advantages for the supplier, recipients and regional neighborhoods. Suppliers can easily provide affordable housing at a low economic and administrative cost, whereas recipients can easily mix socially, have broad housing choices and a fighting chance for a stable life. Additionally, this policy has a low negative impact on the region. Furthermore, this study theoretically presents the potential for mixed paths other than demand or supply policies. It introduces and analyzes special policy objectives for youth housing problems.