REP Research Seminar - Presenting in person - Dr Felipe Carozzi, London School of Economics. Title: "Voter Preferences for Neighborhood Change and Political Planning Cycles."

These are primarily internal Seminars but if you are interested in attending one of our Seminars or for further information, please contact: REPSchoolOffice@henley.ac.uk.

Abstract:

We study how voters' attitude towards neighbourhood change shape urban planning and land use policies. Using a dynamic political selection model, we show that differences in voter preferences can lead to different paths of planning decisions across the electoral cycle. We then use information on the outcome of planning applications submitted to English local planning authorities between 2000 and 2019 to document an electoral cycle in these planning decisions. Rejection rates for major applications increase abruptly in the quarter before a local election takes place. Using insights from our selection model, we interpret this as evidence of local voter opposition to neighbourhood change. Complementary findings indicate that this opposition is entirely absent for applications that have no significant local spillovers on residents.

Bio:

Felipe is an applied microeconomist working in the fields of housing, urban and political economics. He is associate professor in Urban Economics and Economic Geography at the London School of Economics and holds a PhD in Economics and Finance from CEMFI. His work has been published in the Journal of the European Economics Association, American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, and the Journal of Urban Economics among other outlets.