Autor:
Andres Vaher

Teadusseminar "A comparative study of residential attainment trajectories of migrants under different housing regimes: Evidence from three Nordic capital cities" (Tiit Tammaru)

Kolmapäev, 22. november 2023 kell 14.00-15.00 Narva mnt 18 - 1017 ja Zoom

A comparative study of residential attainment trajectories of migrants under different housing regimes: Evidence from three Nordic capital cities

Tiit Tammaru (Tartu Ülikool)

This research delves into the comparative analysis of the residential attainment trajectories of migrants who settle as renters in lower-income neighbourhoods upon arrival to a new homeland. According to the spatial assimilation perspective, migrants who establish themselves on the labour market utilize their improved socioeconomic status to move to higher-income neighbourhoods. Becoming a homeowner is an important part of that process. However, empirical studies do not always support this, as becoming a homeowner in a high-income neighbourhood is financially demanding. This paper aims to detect what are the residential attainment trajectories of migrants who settle as renters in low-income neighbourhoods upon arrival to different countries. Does becoming a homeowner and moving to a high-income neighbourhood typically happen at the same time, or if not, which change usually occurs first? Our comparative and longitudinal study is based on three Nordic capital cities, which represent social democratic welfare regimes but differ in their housing regimes. Specifically, Oslo has a strongly market-based housing sector, Helsinki has a sizable social housing sector, and Stockholm falls in-between. The main findings reveal significant variations in the residential attainment trajectories in the three Nordic capital cities. As incomes rise, migrants (a) move to higher-income neighbourhoods but stay as renters in Helsinki; (b) become homeowners in lower-income neighbourhoods in Oslo; and (c) become homeowners both in lower-income and higher-income neighbourhoods in Stockholm. We conclude that housing regimes and associated policies play an important role in the residential attainment trajectories of migrants as argued by the housing availability model. 

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