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The Housing Cost Disease

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  • Reichlin, Pietro
  • Borri, Nicola

Abstract

We use a simple two-sector, life-cycle economy with bequests to explain the increasing wealth to income ratio, housing wealth and wealth inequality that have been observed in several countries over the long-run as a consequence of a rising labor efficiency in manufacturing (housing cost disease). When consumption inequality across households is sufficiently large, the housing cost disease has adverse effects on a measure of social welfare based on an egalitarian principle: the higher the housing's value appreciation, the lower the welfare benefit of a rising labor efficiency in manufacturing.

Suggested Citation

  • Reichlin, Pietro & Borri, Nicola, 2015. "The Housing Cost Disease," CEPR Discussion Papers 10756, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:10756
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    Cited by:

    1. Grossmann, Volker & Larin, Benjamin & Löfflad, Hans Torben & Steger, Thomas, 2021. "Distributional consequences of surging housing rents," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    2. Nicola Borri & Pietro Reichlin, 2021. "Optimal Taxation with Home Ownership and Wealth Inequality," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 40, pages 64-84, April.
    3. Steger, Thomas Michael & Grossmann, Volker, 2016. "Das House-Kapital: A Theory of Wealth-to-Income Ratios," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145936, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    4. Gianni La Cava, 2016. "Housing Prices, Mortgage Interest Rates and the Rising Share of Capital Income in the United States," RBA Research Discussion Papers rdp2016-04, Reserve Bank of Australia.
    5. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/3bhpicpe2q8a090eu5p3dvakb6 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Volker Grossmann & Benjamin Larin & Hans Torben Löfflad & Thomas Steger, 2019. "Distributional effects of surging housing costs under Schwabe's Law," CESifo Working Paper Series 7684, CESifo.
    7. Steger, Thomas & Grossmann, Volker & Larin, Benjamin & Löfflad, Hans Torben, 2019. "Distributional Effects of Surging Housing Costs under Schwabe`s Law of Rent," VfS Annual Conference 2019 (Leipzig): 30 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall - Democracy and Market Economy 203613, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    8. Reichlin, Pietro & Borri, Nicola, 2018. "Wealth Taxes and Inequality," CEPR Discussion Papers 13067, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    9. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/1eob9f9aas9q18hfjsiqhggvi2 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Odran Bonnet & Guillaume Flamerie de La Chapelle & Alain Trannoy & Etienne Wasmer, 2019. "Secular Trends in Wealth and Heterogeneous Capital: Land is Back... and Should Be Taxed," Working Papers hal-03570837, HAL.
    11. Volker Grossman & Thomas Steger, 2017. "Das House-Kapital: A Long Term Housing & Macro Model," IMF Working Papers 2017/080, International Monetary Fund.
    12. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/56k383m9o9kpb1g6f8rvv74ok is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Mérő, Bence & Borsos, András & Hosszú, Zsuzsanna & Oláh, Zsolt & Vágó, Nikolett, 2023. "A high-resolution, data-driven agent-based model of the housing market," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    14. Odran Bonnet, 2018. "Individual housing choices and aggregate housing prices: discrete choice models revisited with matching models," Sciences Po publications info:hdl:2441/3bhpicpe2q8, Sciences Po.
    15. Saha, Anuradha, 2023. "Land and housing: The twin forces of non-balanced growth," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    16. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/1eob9f9aas9q18hfjsiqhggvi2 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Roberto Torrini, 2015. "Labour, Profit and Housing Rent Shares in Italian GDP: Long-Run Trends and Recent Patterns," Politica economica, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 3, pages 275-314.
    18. Michele Battisti & Giovanni Bernardo & Andrea Mario Lavezzi & Giuseppe Maggio, 2019. "Shooting down the price: evidence from mafia homicides and housing market volatility," Working Paper series 19-05, Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis.
    19. Nicola Borri & Pietro Reichlin, 2021. "Optimal Taxation with Home Ownership and Wealth Inequality," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 40, pages 64-84, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Capital; Housing; Productivity; Wealth; Wealth inequality;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D9 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics
    • E2 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment
    • O4 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity

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