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The impact of supply constraints on house prices in England

Author

Listed:
  • Christian A. L. Hilber

    (London School of Economics & Spatial Economics Research Centre)

  • Wouter Vermeulen

    (CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis & VU University & Spatial Economics Research Centre)

Abstract

We explore the impact of different types of supply constraints on house prices in England by exploiting a unique panel dataset of 353 local planning authorities ranging from 1974 to 2008. Using exogenous variation from a policy reform, vote shares and historical density to identify the endogenous constraints-measures, we find that: i) Regulatory constraints have a substantive positive impact on the house price-earnings elasticity; ii) The effect of constraints due to scarcity of developable land is largely confined to highly urbanised areas; iii) Uneven topography has a quantitatively less meaningful impact; and iv) The effects of supply constraints are greater during boom than bust periods.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian A. L. Hilber & Wouter Vermeulen, 2013. "The impact of supply constraints on house prices in England," Working Papers 2013/28, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
  • Handle: RePEc:ieb:wpaper:doc2013-28
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    House prices; housing supply; supply constraints; land use regulation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • R21 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Housing Demand
    • R31 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - Housing Supply and Markets
    • R52 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Land Use and Other Regulations

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