PhD graduate Rodrigo Martínez Mazza awarded Extrordinary Doctoral Prize

Rodrigo Martínez Mazza, PhD graduate in Economics at the UB School of Economics, has been awarded the extraordinary doctoral prize for the academic year 2020-2021.

Dr Martínez Mazza defended his doctoral thesis “Causes and Consequences of the Housing Affordability Crisis” on July 9, 2021. The research of the study, directed by UB School of Economics researcher Jordi Jofre, aims to analyse three topics that significantly impact housing in urban areas: how new home-sharing platforms such as Airbnb affect housing prices and rents; the consequences of labor market conditions on housing access and affordability for young people; and the effect that flood events have on the housing supply and its location.

His dissertation contributes in terms of public policy. It shows that Airbnb activity reduces long-term rental supply, and the results have been discussed in the EU parliament to consider the need for public policy intervention on short-term rental platforms. It shows that housing aid policies can have significant impacts on welfare, especially for young people. And, finally, it shows that signalling areas as potentially dangerous without strong enforcement is not enough to deter agents from locating near these spaces. Furthermore, he has published numerous articles in internationally renowned journals related to the topic.

We recently interviewed Dr Rodríguez Mazza to find out more about his interesting research and his experience as a PhD student at the UB School of Economics.

How do you feel about obtaining this prize?

This award is a huge motivation booster! I have always tried to research socially relevant topics to which I can contribute to the public discussion. Housing affordability is one of the main challenges cities face nowadays, so every insight into this topic becomes relevant. This award is a further incentive to continue with this ethos.

What was your first conclusion when you finished the research?

After finishing my thesis, my main conclusion was that researching is deviously challenging but incredibly rewarding. For example, we spent years working on the effects of Airbnb on housing prices and rents in Barcelona, and we were breaking our brains to get the most solid and robust specifications, leading to many frustrations. However, I felt that much of that work was worth it once I started seeing our results being discussed in newspapers and used to discuss policies regulating short-term accommodations at the European Parliament. I felt that my research was actually useful.

How was your experience as a student at the University of Barcelona?

Overall, my experience was a thoroughly enjoyable one. I met academics who helped me improve my research and were open to discussing new ideas and projects. However, as PhD students, we often struggled with the lack of funding, job security and proper working conditions that, in our dual role as students and workers, we deserved. I hope that the conditions for future generations continue to improve. That is the reason why my main support group were my fellow PhD students. They were critical to overcoming the highs and lows of doing a PhD, and I am happy to have made long-lasting friendships with them.

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