Events at CERGE-EI

We would like to invite you to a Brown Bag Seminar with Olga Novikova, a PhD student at CERGE-EI, on Tuesday, March 24, at 13:00. The talk is titled "Legal Reform and Social Norms: Evidence from Same-Sex Marriage Laws and Mortgage Credit." The presentation will take place in Room 402, and you can also attend online via the link below.

Presenter: Olga Novikova (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Co-author: Anna Pestova (Toulouse Business School)

Title: "Legal Reform and Social Norms: Evidence from Same-Sex Marriage Laws and Mortgage Credit"

Abstract: We study whether the economic effects of same-sex marriage (SSM) legalization depend on social norms. Using Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data on mortgage applications and approvals from 2010 to 2017, we estimate how the impact of legalization varies across counties with different local norms. We find that in more conservative counties, measured by the share of votes for the Republican candidate in the 2008 presidential election, the effect of SSM legalization on mortgage approvals for same-sex couples is significantly more negative. These results suggest that legal equality does not automatically translate into equal economic outcomes when social norms persist, highlighting the role of local norms in shaping credit market outcomes.

Meeting link: https://cerge-ei.webex.com/cerge-ei/j.php?MTID=mc147879c2f9b5e5808005261d592b8cb

Meeting number: 2740 041 0630

Meeting password: 332569