The Domino Effect: Exploring Residential Mobility in the Aftermath of Municipal Mergers

Bence Boje-Kovacs; Ismir  Mulalic; Marie Louise Schultz-Nielsen

doi:10.1093/jeg/lbaf038

The Domino Effect: Exploring Residential Mobility in the Aftermath of Municipal Mergers

Bence Boje-Kovacs^*
, Ismir Mulalic
, Marie Louise Schultz-Nielsen

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Economics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

45 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In this article, we investigate the impact of municipal mergers on residential mobility in a quasi-natural experiment setting by examining how the local economic environment and neighbourhood composition respond to the loss of local public administration. Using comprehensive neighbourhood-level data from Denmark spanning 1996 to 2015, we find that the loss of the town hall triggers emigration, leading to a reduction in locally supplied public goods. This affects the local housing market and job availability, leading to lower housing prices, higher wages, and longer commutes. Ultimately, the loss of the town hall has major negative consequences for the inhabitants.

Original language	English
Article number	lbaf038
Journal	Journal of Economic Geography
Number of pages	25
ISSN	1468-2702
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbaf038
Publication status	Published - 23 Sept 2025

Bibliographical note

Epub ahead of print. Published online: 23 September 2025.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

Keywords

Municipal amalgamation
Urbanization
Neighbourhood characteristics
Local labor markets

Access to Document

10.1093/jeg/lbaf038Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Full TextFinal published version, 1.95 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Handle.net

Persistent link

Cite this

@article{3950a93f06474e82ae76746db18e10ea,

title = "The Domino Effect: Exploring Residential Mobility in the Aftermath of Municipal Mergers",

abstract = "In this article, we investigate the impact of municipal mergers on residential mobility in a quasi-natural experiment setting by examining how the local economic environment and neighbourhood composition respond to the loss of local public administration. Using comprehensive neighbourhood-level data from Denmark spanning 1996 to 2015, we find that the loss of the town hall triggers emigration, leading to a reduction in locally supplied public goods. This affects the local housing market and job availability, leading to lower housing prices, higher wages, and longer commutes. Ultimately, the loss of the town hall has major negative consequences for the inhabitants.",

keywords = "Municipal amalgamation, Urbanization, Neighbourhood characteristics, Local labor markets, Municipal amalgamation, Urbanization, Neighbourhood characteristics, Local labor markets",

author = "Bence Boje-Kovacs and Ismir Mulalic and Schultz-Nielsen, \{Marie Louise\}",

note = "Epub ahead of print. Published online: 23 September 2025.",

year = "2025",

month = sep,

day = "23",

doi = "10.1093/jeg/lbaf038",

language = "English",

journal = "Journal of Economic Geography",

issn = "1468-2702",

publisher = "Oxford University Press",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Domino Effect

T2 - Exploring Residential Mobility in the Aftermath of Municipal Mergers

AU - Boje-Kovacs, Bence

AU - Mulalic, Ismir

AU - Schultz-Nielsen, Marie Louise

N1 - Epub ahead of print. Published online: 23 September 2025.

PY - 2025/9/23

Y1 - 2025/9/23

N2 - In this article, we investigate the impact of municipal mergers on residential mobility in a quasi-natural experiment setting by examining how the local economic environment and neighbourhood composition respond to the loss of local public administration. Using comprehensive neighbourhood-level data from Denmark spanning 1996 to 2015, we find that the loss of the town hall triggers emigration, leading to a reduction in locally supplied public goods. This affects the local housing market and job availability, leading to lower housing prices, higher wages, and longer commutes. Ultimately, the loss of the town hall has major negative consequences for the inhabitants.

AB - In this article, we investigate the impact of municipal mergers on residential mobility in a quasi-natural experiment setting by examining how the local economic environment and neighbourhood composition respond to the loss of local public administration. Using comprehensive neighbourhood-level data from Denmark spanning 1996 to 2015, we find that the loss of the town hall triggers emigration, leading to a reduction in locally supplied public goods. This affects the local housing market and job availability, leading to lower housing prices, higher wages, and longer commutes. Ultimately, the loss of the town hall has major negative consequences for the inhabitants.

KW - Municipal amalgamation

KW - Urbanization

KW - Neighbourhood characteristics

KW - Local labor markets

KW - Municipal amalgamation

KW - Urbanization

KW - Neighbourhood characteristics

KW - Local labor markets

U2 - 10.1093/jeg/lbaf038

DO - 10.1093/jeg/lbaf038

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1468-2702

JO - Journal of Economic Geography

JF - Journal of Economic Geography

M1 - lbaf038

ER -