This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Does the United States still overinvest in housing?

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Lori L. Taylor
Abstract

Savvy investors allocate their resources across different types of investments to maximize their returns; savvy societies do likewise. Just as with the private sector, society maximizes the return on its investments when risk-adjusted social rates of return equalize across all types of investments. Unfortunately, whereas market arbitrage ensures that risk-adjusted private rates of return equalize, no similar mechanism exists to guarantee that risk-adjusted social rates of return are also equalized. Thus, society may invest relatively too much in some types of capital and relatively too little in others. The relatively low risk-adjusted social rate of return to housing led many researchers to conclude that the United States overinvested in housing before 1986. ; Much has changed in the U.S. housing market since 1986, however. In this article, Lori L. Taylor extends previous analyses to examine the case for overinvestment in housing in the post-1986 period. Her analysis of risk-adjusted social rates of return indicates the U.S. economy could grow faster if society shifted more of its resources away from housing and into high school education and, especially, nonhousing fixed capital. Thus, the evidence suggests that despite substantial reform, the United States continues to overinvest in housing.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.dallasfed.org/research/er/1998/er9802b.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Article provided by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas in its journal Economic and Financial Policy Review.

Volume (Year): (1998)
Issue (Month): Q II ()
Pages: 10-18
Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Handle: RePEc:fip:fedder:y:1998:i:qii:p:10-18

Contact details of provider:
Email:
Web page: http://www.dallasfed.org/
More information through EDIRC

Order Information:
Email:

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Diane Rosenberger).

Related research
Keywords: Housing ; Housing - Finance ; Real property;

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. Peter Chinloy, 1991. "Risk and the User Cost of Housing Services," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 19(4), pages 516-531. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Alan J. Auerbach, 1983. "Corporate Taxation in the United States," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 14(1983-2), pages 451-514. [Downloadable!]
  3. Harvey S. Rosen, 1985. "Housing Subsidies: Effects on Housing Decisions, Efficiency, and Equity," NBER Working Papers 1161, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Olivier J. Blanchard, 1993. "Movements in the Equity Premium," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 24(1993-2), pages 75-138. [Downloadable!]
  5. Groot, Wim & Oosterbeek, Hessel, 1992. "Optimal investment in human capital under uncertainty," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 41-49, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Green, Richard K. & White, Michelle J., 1997. "Measuring the Benefits of Homeowning: Effects on Children," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 441-461, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Auerbach, Alan J & Hassett, Kevin A & Oliner, Stephen D, 1994. "Reassessing the Social Returns to Equipment Investment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 109(3), pages 789-802, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  8. Campbell, John Y, 1996. "Understanding Risk and Return," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 104(2), pages 298-345, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  9. Edwin S. Mills, 1987. "Has the United States Overinvested in Housing?," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 15(1), pages 601-616. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Follain James R. & Leavens Donald R. & Velz Orawin T., 1993. "Identifying the Effects of Tax Reform on Multifamily Rental Housing," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 275-298, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Alm, James & Follain, James R. & Beeman, Mary Anne, 1985. "Tax expenditures and other programs to stimulate housing: Do we need more?," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 180-195, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Roger G. Ibbotson & Laurence B. Siegel, 1984. "Real Estate Returns: A Comparison with Other Investments," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 12(3), pages 219-242. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. De Long, J Bradford & Summers, Lawrence H, 1991. "Equipment Investment and Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 106(2), pages 445-502, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Lawrence J. White & W. Scott Frame, 2004. "Emerging Competition and Risk-Taking Incentives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," Working Papers 04-02, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  2. Lawrence White & W. Scott Frame, 2004. "Fussing and Fuming over Fannie and Freddie: How Much Smoke, How Much Fire?," Working Papers 04-27, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  3. Lawrence J. White, 2002. "Focusing on Fannie and Freddie: The Dilemmas of Reforming Housing Finance," Working Papers 02-01, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  4. W. Scott Frame & Lawrence J. White, 2004. "Emerging competition and risk-taking incentives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, issue May, pages 488-506. [Downloadable!]
  5. Raphael Bergoeing & Felipe Morandé & Raimundo Soto., . "Asset prices in Chile: facts and fads," ILADES-Georgetown University Working Papers inv115, Ilades-Georgetown University, School of Economics and Bussines. [Downloadable!]
  6. W. Scott Frame & Lawrence J. White, 2004. "Emerging competition and risk-taking incentives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," Working Paper 2004-4, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. [Downloadable!]
  7. Robert A. Eisenbeis & W. Scott Frame & Larry D. Wall, 2004. "Resolving large financial intermediaries: banks versus housing enterprises," Working Paper 2004-23, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. Lawrence White, 2002. "Reforming Fannie and Freddie: Privatization is the Way," Working Papers 02-10, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  9. Lawrence White, 2003. "Focusing on Fannie and Freddie: The Dilemmas of Reforming Housing Finance," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 43-58, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. W. Scott Frame & Lawrence J. White, 2004. "Fussing and fuming over Fannie and Freddie: how much smoke, how much fire?," Working Paper 2004-26, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. [Downloadable!]
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? IDEAS indexes over 800000 items of research in Economics alone.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-10.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.