Health implications of housing retrofits: Evidence from a population-wide weatherization program

Steffen Künn and Juan Palacios

Journal of Health Economics, 2024, vol. 98, issue C

Abstract: This study provides the first population-representative quasi-experimental estimates on the impact of housing upgrades on occupant health. We analyze the exceptional period of renovations in East Germany following the German reunification during the 1990s. Triggered by one of the largest governmental loan programs in history, 3.6 million dwellings were renovated, focussing on upgrades to the building insulation, windows and heating systems. Using rich survey data based on the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) as well as administrative records of hospital admissions in Germany, we consistently show that housing weatherization upgrades sustainably reduce the demand for health care among the elderly sample of the population.

Keywords: Housing quality; Renovation program; Health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H54 I18 R21 R23 R38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:98:y:2024:i:c:s016762962400081x

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2024.102936

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