We study the effects of homeownership on labor force participation and unemployment. We exploit housing privatization and restitution after the fall of communism as a source exogenous assignment of homeowner/renter status, using a unique dataset from the city of Brno, Czech Republic. We do not...

We estimate the effects of a simplified criminal procedure on case durations and probabilities of charges and conviction. The context of our study is the introduction of a simplified ("fast-track'') procedure for petty crimes in the Czech Republic in 2002. The actual adoption of the new...

We study whether the positive effects of homeownership on political participation and social capital, found in developed market economies, extend to post-communist countries. We use the privatization of publicly-owned housing in post-communist countries as an exogenous source of variation of...

This paper investigates the presence of odometer fraud in the used car market using a large dataset of car sale advertisements from the Czech Republic. The strategic aspects of sale decisions and the practice of rounding odometer readings, however, render the standard statistical tests for...

We provide an overview of housing privatization policies and outcomes in transition economies. Our primary aim is to collect and systematize key information concerning the institutional features of housing privatization in individual countries: we identify the initial conditions, the timeframe...

Objectives: This paper tests the economic theory of criminal behavior. Specifically, it looks at “the carrot” side of the theory, studying how thieves react to changes in monetary gains from crime.Methods: Using a unique crime-level dataset on metal theft in the Czech Republic, we study...

Gender differences in productivity, if any, that are unobserved to researchers may produce an omitted variable bias in gender gap studies. Finding a subpopulation with less acute differences in unobserved characteristics would allow this concern to be addressed. This paper argues that gays and...

The paper estimates the effects of a simpler criminal procedure on case durations and the probabilities that the defendant is charged and convicted. The identification strategy exploits a quasi-natural experiment in district-level implementation of criminal procedure reform in the Czech...

This paper investigates the presence of odometer fraud in the used-car market using a unique dataset of 250,000 car-sale ads from the Czech Republic. Alternative identification techniques are discussed. However, selection into the market as well as the practice of rounding odometer readings —...