In a January 26 commentary, University of Chicago economist Casey Mulligan presented data showing that the nation continues to invest excessively in residential housing at the expense of business investment.
Also on January 26, MetLife published a report on the housing market for those over age 55, an important threshold because housing can legally be age-restricted at age 55.
In a January 25 commentary, economists Stefano Corradin and others suggested that the U.S. bankruptcy code may have played a role in creating the housing bubble because home equity is partially shielded from creditors.
In a January 19 commentary, University of Chicago economist Casey Mulligan calculated the long-term return on homeownership at 5.7 percent, well below the return on investing in the corporate sector. He attributes the low return to overinvestment in housing due to tax subsidies.
On January 13, the Urban Institute published a study of the low-income housing credit.
On January 5, University of Chicago economist Casey Mulligan posted an extensive analysis of recent housing market trends.
Also on January 5, PIMCO analyst Rod Dubitsky explained how problems with foreclosure create uncertainty in the mortgage market.
On December 31, the Bureau of Labor Statistics published an article estimating the impact of the housing bubble on employment. It finds that at the peak of the bubble in 2005, it was supporting between 1.2 million and 1.7 million jobs.
In a December 28 commentary, Harvard economist Ed Glaeser argued that much of the U.S. population shift is driven by government regulations that raise the price of housing in the North and reduce it in the South.
I last posted items on this topic on December 27.
Bruce Bartlett is an American historian and columnist who focuses on the intersection between politics and economics. He blogs daily and writes a weekly column at The Fiscal Times. Bartlett has written for Forbes Magazine and Creators Syndicate, and his work is informed by many years in government, including as a senior policy analyst in the Reagan White House. He is the author of seven books including the New York Times best-seller, Imposter: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (Doubleday, 2006).
