Right to Buy? Time to Move? Investigating the Effect of the Right to Buy on Moving Behaviour in the UK

17 Pages Posted: 24 Aug 2010

See all articles by Maarten van Ham

Maarten van Ham

Delft University of Technology - OTB Research Institute for Housing, Urban and Mobility Studies; University of St. Andrews; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Lee Williamson

University of St Andrews - School of Geography & Geosciences

Peteke Feijten

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Paul Boyle

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Abstract

One of the goals of the Right to Buy (RTB) was to stimulate labour migration by removing the debilitating effect of social housing on geographical mobility. This is the first study to examine rigorously whether the Right to Buy legislation did indeed 'free-up' those in social housing who bought their homes. Using longitudinal data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and panel regression models we show that the probability of a RTB-owner making a long distance move falls between that of social renters and owner occupiers. However, the difference between RTB-owners and neither homeowners nor social renters is significant. Social renters are significantly less likely to move over long distances than traditional owners. The results also suggest that RTB-owners are less likely than traditional owners to move for job related reasons, but more likely than social renters.

Keywords: Right to Buy, residential mobility, migration, moving reasons, longitudinal data, United Kingdom

JEL Classification: J60, J61, R23

Suggested Citation

van Ham, Maarten and van Ham, Maarten and Williamson, Lee and Feijten, Peteke and Boyle, Paul, Right to Buy? Time to Move? Investigating the Effect of the Right to Buy on Moving Behaviour in the UK. IZA Discussion Paper No. 5115, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1663135 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1663135

Maarten Van Ham (Contact Author)

Delft University of Technology - OTB Research Institute for Housing, Urban and Mobility Studies ( email )

P.O. Box 5043
2600 GA Delft
Netherlands
+31 15 278 2782 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.maartenvanham.nl

University of St. Andrews ( email )

North St
Saint Andrews, Fife KY16 9AJ
United Kingdom

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Lee Williamson

University of St Andrews - School of Geography & Geosciences ( email )

North St
Saint Andrews, Fife KY16 9AJ
United Kingdom
(01334) 462383 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/gg/people/williamson

Peteke Feijten

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

No Address Available

Paul Boyle

affiliation not provided to SSRN

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