In this podcast special of the SBE Podcast, we are happy to invite Prof. Dr. Dirk Brounen. Together, we discuss two main topics: housing and household finance.

What does it actually mean to study housing and household finance? What leads humans to sometimes irrational decisions when it comes to spending their money? Why ishousing in cities like Maastricht, especially for students, so difficult, and what are possible solutions to solve this problem? And does it still make sense to buy a house?

Questions like these are answered by Prof. Dr. Dirk Brounen, who holds the chair of Housing & Household Finance at the Financial Department of SBE andMaastricht University since 2024. Previously, Dirk Brounen worked as a professor at the Universities of Tilburg and Rotterdam, and pursued his PhD atthe University of Amsterdam. He’s one of the most renowned Dutch scientists in the areas of housing and real estate and advises pension funds, investors, ministries, and regulators. He’s also the author of the book "Nooit Meer Slapend Arm” and published several papers in globally relevant journals like the Journal of Urban Economics and the Journal of European Real Estate Research.