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The effects of public housing on internal mobility in Hong Kong

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  • Lui, Hon-Kwong
  • Suen, Wing

Abstract

The rationing of public housing reduces the efficiency of the match between public housing units and their occupants, as competing users cannot effectively convey their preferences through a price mechanism. This study investigates the costs of public housing from the perspective of the misallocation of housing units to households and examines how this misallocation affects their lives. We show that public housing occupants are less mobile than private housing occupants, but conditional on moving, they are more likely to relocate farther away from their original place of residence. They are also less likely to work in the same place as they live.

Suggested Citation

  • Lui, Hon-Kwong & Suen, Wing, 2011. "The effects of public housing on internal mobility in Hong Kong," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 15-29, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jhouse:v:20:y:2011:i:1:p:15-29
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    2. Chenhong Peng & Paul S. F. Yip & Yik Wa Law, 2020. "What Factors Beyond Economic Poverty Lead People in High-income Societies to Feel Poor? Evidence from Hong Kong," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 152(3), pages 991-1027, December.
    3. Shao, Xiaokuai & White, Alexander, 2021. "Outsiders, insiders and interventions in the housing market," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 110-134.
    4. Gohl, Niklas, 2019. "House prices and spatial mobility: Lock-in effects on the German rental market," VfS Annual Conference 2019 (Leipzig): 30 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall - Democracy and Market Economy 203557, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    5. Shuheng Jin & Tianzhu Nie & Ngai Pun & Duoduo Xu, 2022. "Spatial Mismatch, Different Labor Markets and Precarious Employment: The Case of Hong Kong," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 161(1), pages 51-73, May.
    6. Olsen, Edgar O. & Zabel, Jeffrey E., 2015. "US Housing Policy," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 887-986, Elsevier.
    7. Jionghua Wang & Bo Huang & Ting Zhang & Hung Wong & Yifan Huang, 2018. "Impact of Housing and Community Conditions on Multidimensional Health among Middle- and Low-Income Groups in Hong Kong," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-14, May.
    8. Alvaro Janez, 2025. "Means-Tested Programs and Interstate Migration in the United States," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 55, January.
    9. I-Chun Tsai, 2019. "Interregional correlations in the US housing market at three price tiers," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 63(1), pages 1-24, August.
    10. Eerola, Essi & Saarimaa, Tuukka, 2018. "Delivering affordable housing and neighborhood quality: A comparison of place- and tenant-based programs," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 44-54.
    11. Eerola, Essi & Saarimaa, Tuukka, 2015. "Who Benefits from Public Housing?," Working Papers 68, VATT Institute for Economic Research.
    12. Sha, Feng & Li, Bingyu & Guo, Yingqi & Law, Yik Wa & Yip, Paul S.F. & Zhang, Yi, 2020. "Effects of the Transport Support Scheme on employment and commuting patterns among public rental housing residents in Hong Kong," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 10-18.

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