Search Results

Title: The Effects of Housing Wealth on Education and Other Essays in Empirical Microeconomics
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Ruddy, Ryan
The Effects of Housing Wealth on Education and Other Essays in Empirical Microeconomics
Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Houston, 2015
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT)
Keyword(s): Educational Attainment; Housing/Housing Characteristics/Types; Labor Market Outcomes; Wealth

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

This dissertation is composed of three essays. The first essay, Family Resources and Secondary Education Investment: Evidence From the Housing Boom uses plausibly exogenous home price increases during the housing boom in the late 1990's and early 2000's to identify the effect of family resources on investment in secondary education. Exploiting the large spatial and timing variation of home price changes during this period, I find the average home price increase lowered the probability of dropping out of high school by age 19 by 1 percentage point, a 10% reduction. Consistent with an increased expectation of ability to pay for college, home price increases also raised the probability of completing a college preparatory curriculum and attending college. Students who reported low grades in eighth grade respond the strongest to home price increases suggesting that merit-based scholarship programs might be less beneficial than scholarship programs which are not contingent on ability. Black students of all ability levels are more likely to remain in high school in response to a home price increase. A mean change in home price decreased the probability of black students dropping out by 20%.

The second chapter, The Effect of Housing Wealth on Labor Market Outcomes and Behavior , expands on the findings of Chapter 1 and previous literature that found a link between housing wealth and education by examining the impact of home wealth on adult labor market outcomes and behavior. Using the NLSY97, I measure the effect of a change in home price while in high school on income at age 26, job industry, criminal behavior, and community participation. I find evidence that home wealth shocks increase the probability of holding white collar jobs, increase wages, and positively impact behavior outcomes. These effects are likely manifesting through the increased education found in previous work.

Bibliography Citation
Ruddy, Ryan. The Effects of Housing Wealth on Education and Other Essays in Empirical Microeconomics. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Houston, 2015.