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On the Political Economy of Urban Growth: Homeownership versus Affordability

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  • Ortalo-Magné, François
  • Prat, Andrea

Abstract

We study the equilibrium properties of an overlapping-generation economy where agents choose where to locate, and how much housing to own, and city residents vote on the number of new building permits every period. Under-supply of housing persists in equilibrium under conditions we characterize. City residents invest in housing because they expect their investment to be protected by a majority of voters opposed to urban growth. They vote against growth because they have invested in local housing. This vicious cycle between ownership and urban growth generates a tension between the common housing policy objectives of affordability for all and homeownership for most. Homeownership subsidies increase resistance to urban growth. Capturing the value of new building permits and distributing the proceeds to residents may move the economy away from a welfare-dominated no-growth equilibrium.

Suggested Citation

  • Ortalo-Magné, François & Prat, Andrea, 2011. "On the Political Economy of Urban Growth: Homeownership versus Affordability," CEPR Discussion Papers 8243, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:8243
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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Pernicious housing equilibria
      by Eric Crampton in Offsetting Behaviour on 2014-01-28 02:42:00

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    Cited by:

    1. Leung, Charles Ka Yui & Ng, Joe Cho Yiu, 2018. "Macro Aspects of Housing," MPRA Paper 93512, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Albert Solé-Ollé & Elisabet Viladecans Marsal, 2013. "Do Political Parties Matter for Local Land Use Policies?," CESifo Working Paper Series 4284, CESifo.
    3. Christian A.L. Hilber & Jan Rouwendal & Wouter Vermeulen, 2014. "Local Economic Conditions and the Nature of New Housing Supply," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 14-120/VIII, Tinbergen Institute.
    4. Gilles Duranton & Diego Puga, 2020. "The Economics of Urban Density," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 34(3), pages 3-26, Summer.
    5. Gary-Bobo, Robert J. & Nur, Jamil, 2015. "Housing, Capital Taxation and Bequests in a Simple OLG Model," CEPR Discussion Papers 10774, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    6. Chandan Deuskar, 2020. "Informal urbanisation and clientelism: Measuring the global relationship," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(12), pages 2473-2490, September.
    7. Solé-Ollé, Albert & Viladecans-Marsal, Elisabet, 2012. "Lobbying, political competition, and local land supply: Recent evidence from Spain," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(1), pages 10-19.
    8. Edlund, Lena & Machado, Cecilia & Sviatschi, Maria, 2015. "Bright Minds, Big Rent: Gentrification and the Rising Returns to Skill," IZA Discussion Papers 9502, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Gyourko, Joseph & Molloy, Raven, 2015. "Regulation and Housing Supply," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.),Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 1289-1337, Elsevier.
    10. Solé-Ollé, Albert & Viladecans-Marsal, Elisabet, 2013. "Do political parties matter for local land use policies?," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 42-56.
    11. Darren K. Hayunga & R. Kelley Pace & Shuang Zhu, 2019. "Borrower Risk and Housing Price Appreciation," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 544-566, May.
    12. Albert Solé-Ollé & Elisabet Viladecans Marsal, 2013. "The Influence Wielded by Land Developer Lobbies During the Housing Boom: Recent Evidence From Spain," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 11(02), pages 43-49, July.
    13. Jiang, Boqian, 2018. "Homeownership and voter turnout in u.s. local elections," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 168-183.
    14. Lena Edlund & Cecilia Machado & Maria Micaela Sviatschi, 2015. "Gentrification and the Rising Returns to Skill," NBER Working Papers 21729, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Martin, Thorsten, 2017. "You shall not build! (until tomorrow) [:] Electoral cycles and housing policies in Germany," MPRA Paper 78998, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Charles Ka Yui Leung, 2015. "Availability, Affordability and Volatility: The Case of the Hong Kong Housing Market," International Real Estate Review, Global Social Science Institute, vol. 18(3), pages 383-428.
    17. Duranton, Gilles & Puga, Diego, 2015. "Urban Land Use," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.),Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 467-560, Elsevier.
    18. Devin Bunten, 2017. "Is the Rent Too High? Aggregate Implications of Local Land-Use Regulation," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2017-064, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    19. Molloy, Raven, 2020. "The effect of housing supply regulation on housing affordability: A review," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    20. repec:ces:ifodic:v:11:y:2013:i:2:p:19094733 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Clémence Tricaud, 2019. "Better alone? Evidence on the costs of intermunicipal cooperation," Economics Working Paper from Condorcet Center for political Economy at CREM-CNRS 2019-12-ccr, Condorcet Center for political Economy.
    22. David S. Bieri & Casey J. Dawkins, 2019. "Amenities, affordability, and housing vouchers," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(1), pages 56-82, January.
    23. Stephen Coate, 2011. "Property Taxation, Zoning, and Efficiency: A Dynamic Analysis," NBER Working Papers 17145, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    24. Edlund, Lena & Machado, Cecilia & Sviatschi, Maria, 2015. "Bright Minds, Big Rent: Gentrification and the Rising Returns to Skill," IZA Discussion Papers 9502, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    housing; political economy; real estate;

    JEL classification:

    • R31 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - Housing Supply and Markets

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