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Housing demand and household saving rates in china: Evidence from a housing reform

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  • Chen, Binkai
  • Yang, Xi
  • Zhong, Ninghua

Abstract

China’s urban household saving rate has increased markedly since the mid-1990s, accompanied by a dramatic increase in home ownership. Is there a causal link between those two phenomena? This paper takes advantage of a unique natural experiment in China, which reformed the nationwide employer-based public housing system in 1998. This reform created an exogenous variation in housing demand among urban households. Using a difference-in-differences estimation strategy, we find evidence that the reform increased household saving rates during the reform period (1998–2001) by shifting the cost of housing services from the state to households. We also provide evidence that suggests that the 1998 housing reform affects household saving behaviors even after the reform period (2002–2009).

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Binkai & Yang, Xi & Zhong, Ninghua, 2020. "Housing demand and household saving rates in china: Evidence from a housing reform," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jhouse:v:49:y:2020:i:c:s1051137720300292
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jhe.2020.101693
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    Cited by:

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    3. Xiaokuai Shao & Yujin Cao & Yangchuan Teng & Jidong Chen & Liutang Gong, 2022. "The Consumption‐Stimulating Effect of Public Rental Housing in China," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 30(1), pages 106-135, January.
    4. Bollinger, Christopher & Ding, Xiaozhou & Lugauer, Steven, 2022. "The expansion of higher education and household saving in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    China; Urban housing reform; Household saving;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth

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