Project Title: The legacy of war and mass migration: housing in post-war Germany
Source: Bocconi Young Researcher Grant
The project explores the role of war-induced mass migration in the development of housing and regional economies in post-war Germany. Housing provision is among the main challenges for governments facing an influx of refugees. Inadequate housing is an impediment to their integration, both in the labour market and into society at large. The policy response thus invoked can create persistent effects in housing markets and in broader economic outcomes. Post-war Germany provides an ideal case study to quantify these potential effects. As principle investigator, I engaged three research assistants in Berlin, who helped me construct a large database and cartographical visualisation of regional statistics at the county level to test key assumptions linking the structure of the housing market to post-war urban reconstruction, and to investigate the long-term economic outcomes of regional displacement.