Moving to Opportunity or Isolation? Network Effects of a Randomized Housing Lottery in Urban India

38 Pages Posted: 3 Aug 2015 Last revised: 12 Jul 2023

See all articles by Sharon Barnhardt

Sharon Barnhardt

CESS Nuffield - FLAME University; Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)

Erica Field

Duke University, Fuqua School of Business-Economics Group; Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative

Rohini Pande

Yale University - Economic Growth Center

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Date Written: July 2015

Abstract

A housing lottery in an Indian city provided winning slum dwellers the opportunity to move into improved housing on the city’s periphery. Fourteen years later, relative to lottery losers, winners report improved housing farther from the city center, but no change in family income or human capital. Winners also report increased isolation from family and caste networks and lower access to informal insurance. We observe significant program exit: 34% of winners never moved into the subsidized housing and 32% eventually exited. Our results point to the importance of considering social networks when designing housing programs for the poor.

Suggested Citation

Barnhardt, Sharon and Field, Erica and Pande, Rohini, Moving to Opportunity or Isolation? Network Effects of a Randomized Housing Lottery in Urban India (July 2015). NBER Working Paper No. w21419, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2638970

Sharon Barnhardt (Contact Author)

CESS Nuffield - FLAME University ( email )

Pune, Maharashtra, 411215
India
9962072412 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.cess-nuffield-flame.org/people/

Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) ( email )

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United States

Erica Field

Duke University, Fuqua School of Business-Economics Group ( email )

Box 90097
Durham, NC 27708-0097
United States
(919) 660-1857 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://sites.duke.edu/ericafield/

Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative ( email )

215 Morris St., Suite 300
Durham, NC 27701
United States

Rohini Pande

Yale University - Economic Growth Center ( email )

Box 208269
New Haven, CT 06520-8269
United States

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