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On the economic impacts of constraining second home investments

Author

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  • Hilber, Christian A. L.
  • Schöni, Olivier

Abstract

We investigate how political backlash against wealthy second home investors in high natural amenity places affects local residents. We exploit a quasi-natural experiment: the ‘Swiss Second Home Initiative’, which banned the construction of new second homes in desirable seasonal tourist locations. Consistent with our model, we find that the ban substantially lowered (increased) the price growth of primary (second) homes and increased the unemployment growth rate in the affected areas. Our findings suggest that the negative effect on local economies dominated the positive amenity-preservation effect. We conclude that constraining second home construction in seasonal tourist locations where primary and second homes are not close substitutes may reinforce wealth inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Hilber, Christian A. L. & Schöni, Olivier, 2020. "On the economic impacts of constraining second home investments," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 105149, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:105149
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    File URL: https://researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/105149/
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    Cited by:

    1. Jung Sakong, 2021. "Effect of Ownership Composition on Property Prices and Rents: Evidence from Chinese Investment Boom in US Housing Markets," Working Paper Series WP-2021-12, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
    2. Simon B chler, Maximilian v. Ehrlich, 2021. "Quantifying Land Use Regulation and its Determinants - Ease of Residential Development across Swiss Municipalities," Diskussionsschriften credresearchpaper32, Universitaet Bern, Departement Volkswirtschaft - CRED.
    3. Christian A. L. Hilber & Olivier Schoni, 2022. "Housing policy and affordable housing," CEP Occasional Papers 56, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    4. Andrey Pavlov & Tsur Somerville & Jake Wetzel, 2024. "Foreign buyer taxes and housing affordability," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 52(3), pages 928-950, May.
    5. Magontier, Pierre & Solé-Ollé, Albert & Viladecans-Marsal, Elisabet, 2024. "The political economy of coastal development," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 238(C).
    6. zu Ermgassen, Sophus & Drewniok, Michal & Bull, Joseph & Walker, Christine Corlet & Mancini, Mattia & Ryan-Collins, Josh & Serrenho, André Cabrera, 2022. "A home for all within planetary boundaries: pathways for meeting England’s housing needs without transgressing national climate and biodiversity goals," OSF Preprints 5kxce, Center for Open Science.
    7. Matthias Wrede, 2022. "How Short-Term Rentals are Changing the Neighborhood," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 45(4), pages 417-443, July.
    8. Sha, Yezhou & Wang, Zilong & Yin, Zhichao, 2024. "House purchase restriction and stock market participation: Unveiling the role of nonpecuniary consideration," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 390-406.
    9. Fabienne Helfer & Volker Grossmann & Aderonke Osikominu, 2023. "Correction: How does immigration affect housing costs in Switzerland?," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, Springer;Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics, vol. 159(1), pages 1-1, December.
    10. Meleddu, Marta & Paolini, Dimitri & Etcheverry, Sandra Valeria Posadas, 2025. "The relationship between tourism activity, natural amenities, and second-home development: Insights for Land use planning," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    11. Sonia Gilbukh & Andrew Haughwout & Rebecca J. Landau & Joseph Tracy, 2023. "The price‐to‐rent ratio: A macroprudential application," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 51(2), pages 503-532, March.
    12. David Boto-García & José Francisco Baños Pino, 2024. "The economics of second-home tourism: Are there expenditure reallocation effects from accommodation savings?," Tourism Economics, , vol. 30(4), pages 969-995, June.
    13. repec:osf:osfxxx:5kxce_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. zu Ermgassen, Sophus O.S.E. & Drewniok, Michal P. & Bull, Joseph W. & Corlet Walker, Christine M. & Mancini, Mattia & Ryan-Collins, Josh & Cabrera Serrenho, André, 2022. "A home for all within planetary boundaries: Pathways for meeting England's housing needs without transgressing national climate and biodiversity goals," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    15. Malone, Trey & Schaefer, K. Aleks & Lusk, Jayson L., 2021. "Unscrambling U.S. egg supply chains amid COVID-19," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).

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    JEL classification:

    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • R21 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Housing Demand
    • R31 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - Housing Supply and Markets
    • R52 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Land Use and Other Regulations

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