Date of Award

Spring 5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Department

Economics

First Advisor

Mila Malyshava

Second Advisor

Heather Hurst

Abstract

This paper examines how Law No. 9351 (2016), a property restriction law in Costa Rica, impacts the physical condition of subsidy recipient properties, in comparison to non-recipients. Data from the Encuesta Nacional de Hogares (ENAHO) [National Household Survey] is collected, using eight years spanning from 2010 to 2022. Subsidies are distributed by the Housing Mortgage Bank [Banco Hipotecario de la Vivienda (BANHVI)] to families facing housing insecurity. First, two separate cross-sectional OLS regressions were estimated using the years 2010 and 2022 of the ENAHO survey. This was followed by a staggered cross-sectional difference-in-difference model, employing the implementation of Law No. 9351 as an exogenous policy. It is found that subsidy receipt is positively and significantly associated with better physical condition ratings. However, results also showed that after 2016, this advantage narrowed by .010 points (on a 1-3 scale), significant at the 5% level, and physical condition consistently declines after the subsidy is granted. These findings indicate that the regulations imposed by Law No. 9351, including forbidding alienation or commercialization of the subsidized properties may lead to decreased incentives for housing investment.

Download

Included in

Economics Commons

Share

COinS