Tripos Dissertations

I supervised around five Tripos dissertations each year, primarily in the real estate finance and housing economics areas. Most of these dissertations are quantitative empricial studies, using either observational or field experiment data. Linear regression and time series analysis are the two most commonly used techniques.

Potential dissertation topics (2022 – 2023 academic year)

This is a list of dissertation topics that I am happy to supervise. If you are interested in one of these topics, please contact me directly.

  • Learning from House Prices
    • Research question:
      • Does past house price expectation has stronger influences on life/job/housing satisfaction than past income experience?
      • Does past house price expectation has stronger influences on consumption/investment than past income experience?
    • Key reference: Section 4.5 (Evidence from survey data), Chahrour, R. and G. Gaballo (2021). “Learning from House Prices: Amplification and Business Fluctuations.” Review of Economic Studies 88(4): 1720-1759. 
    • Data: Understanding Society Panel Data Survey (2009 – 2022), available from UK Data Services.
    • Methods: panel data regression
    • Empirical strategy: verify the empirical findings in Section 4.5 by using data from the UK. The Understanding Society database has all variables needed for the tests.
    • Extensions: Similar studies using panel survey data from other parts of the world are also possible. The key variables include measurements of satisfaction, house values/prices, income, expenditure, and investment on the household or individual level.
  • Energy efficiency, house values, and regional disparity
    • Research question:
      • Does energy efficiency affect house prices in the UK?
      • Does energy efficiency affect rental yield/incomes in the UK?
      • Is there regional disparity in the effect identified?
    • Key reference: Taruttis, L. and C. Weber (2022). “Estimating the impact of energy efficiency on housing prices in Germany: Does regional disparity matter?” Energy Economics 105. 
    • Data: Property transaction and rental data from Righymove; regional disparity index from ONS.
    • Methods: hedonic price modelling
    • Empirical strategy: Estimate the same model by using UK data
  • The new geography of house prices in the UK
    • Research question:
      • How will cities/regions in the UK be affected by the new WFH economy?
      • What are the implications of the new WFH economy to house prices changes across the country?
      • What are the implications of the new WFH economy to regional divide and levelling-up policy?
    • Key reference:
      • Dingel, J. I. and B. Neiman (2020). “How many jobs can be done at home?” Journal of Public Economics 189.
      • Brueckner, J., et al. (2021). “A New Spatial Hedonic Equilibrium in the Emerging Work-from-Home Economy?” National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series No. 28526. 
    • Data: Average house prices & work-from-home survey from the ONS
    • Methods: hedonic price modelling
    • Empirical strategy: Estimate the same model by using UK data.

Dissertations that I supervised in the last five years

2022

  1. A field Experiment of Ethnic and Gender Discrimination in the UK Rental Housing Market
  2. Analysis of the Impact of Cooling Measures on the Housing Market
  3. An assessment of Healthcare Real Estate as an alternative investment opportunity
  4. Green Premium for Buildings:  How Green Buildings Impact Cost of Equity Capital for Real Estate Investment Trusts across Europe
  5. A study on the capitalisation effect of London Crossrail development on regional economic equality
  6. Does it pay to be green?

2021

  1. A field Experiment of Ethnic and Gender Discrimination in the UK Rental Housing Market
  2. Analysis of the Impact of Cooling Measures on the Housing Market
  3. An assessment of Healthcare Real Estate as an alternative investment opportunity
  4. Green Premium for Buildings:  How Green Buildings Impact Cost of Equity Capital for Real Estate Investment Trusts across Europe
  5. A study on the capitalisation effect of London Crossrail development on regional economic equality

2020

  1. Shuttered Schools and Property Prices  
  2. A link between east and west: A study of how the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link affects property prices in Kowloon West of Hong Kong
  3. The barriers and enablers of micro-mobility adoption: a behavioural approach
  4. The Impact of Home Sharing on Residential Real Estate Markets

2019

  1. Investigating Transportation Demand Management Strategies: The Case of Tradable Parking Permits
  2. Reference Dependence in the UK Property Market
  3. The Impact of Greenbelt Policy on House Prices
  4. Light at the end of the tunnel: The impacts of expected transport improvements on residential property prices
  5. An investigation into disparities underlying in Korean real estate market and plausible remedies for their re-balance