• “Determinants of Immigrant Homeownership: Examining their Changing Role during the Great Recession and Beyond” with Ruth Uwaifo Oyelere. under review
  • Abstract: The Great Recession had significant economic effects both in the U.S. and around the world. There is evidence that homeownership rates declined during this period, though immigrants were less severely affected compared to natives. In this paper we investigate the role of several factors in reducing the vulnerability of immigrants in the face of the economic crisis and increasing the probability of their homeownership. Specifically, we examine to what extent immigrants’ birthplace networks, savings, length of stay in the U.S., and citizenship status affect the probability of homeownership before the recession and to what extent their impact on homeownership have changed since the recession. Using data for the years 2000 – 2012, our results suggest that birthplace networks have a significant effect on homeownership and this effect increases after the onset of the recession. Moreover, the impact of birthplace network on homeownership is stronger for citizens and those who are not recent immigrants. We also find heterogenous impacts in the impact of savings, length of stay and citizenship status when comparing the prerecession period to the post.