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Gimme shelter! rents have risen, not fallen, since World War II

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  • Leonard I. Nakamura

Abstract

Two recent studies have concluded that for roughly four decades the measure of inflation for rents in the U.S. consumer price index was substantially underestimated. Why should this mismeasurement be of concern? In ?Gimme Shelter! Rents Have Risen, Not Fallen, Since World War II,? Len Nakamura explains that rents are important in measuring the price of housing services for homeowners as well as renters. They are also the main standard against which market participants and others weigh the reasonableness of house prices. In addition, such mismeasurement affected the estimated rate of overall inflation faced by U.S. households during this historical episode.

Suggested Citation

  • Leonard I. Nakamura, 2007. "Gimme shelter! rents have risen, not fallen, since World War II," Business Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, issue Q2, pages 25-33.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedpbr:y:2007:i:q2:p:25-33
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    File URL: https://www.philadelphiafed.org/-/media/frbp/assets/economy/articles/business-review/2007/q2/nakamura_gimme-shelter.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Theodore M. Crone & Leonard I. Nakamura & Richard Voith, 2004. "The CPI for rents: a case of understated inflation," Working Papers 04-17, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
    2. Randolph, William C., 1988. "Estimation of housing depreciation: Short-term quality change and long-term vintage effects," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 162-178, March.
    3. Randolph, William C, 1988. "Housing Depreciation and Aging Bias in the Consumer Price Index," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 6(3), pages 359-371, July.
    4. Shiller Robert J., 2006. "Long-Term Perspectives on the Current Boom in Home Prices," The Economists' Voice, De Gruyter, vol. 3(4), pages 1-11, March.
    5. David Genesove, 2003. "The Nominal Rigidity of Apartment Rents," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 85(4), pages 844-853, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. William C. Wheaton & Mark S. Baranski & Cesarina A. Templeton, 2009. "100 Years of Commercial Real Estate Prices in Manhattan," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 37(1), pages 69-83, March.

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