Abstract

For many years in the United States, there has been consistent interest in academic research and policy debate regarding household tenure choice as researchers aim to drive policy that promotes higher levels of homeownership. Despite myriad studies and debates concerning the real causes of changes in housing tenure, there is still much disagreement on the contributing factors to this phenomenon. This article offers a summary and critique of the U.S. empirical evidence on five hypotheses concerning the determinants of tenure decision: (1) income, wealth, and employment status; (2) life-cycle factors; (3) user cost, financial constraints, and economic downturn; (4) residential mobility and location; and (5) prior tenure. This study provides useful information for local and state policymakers and incorporates comprehensive empirical evidence, methodologies, and variables for tenure-choice research.

摘要

在美国，多年来，由于研究人员旨在推动可提高住房所有权水平的政策，因此一直对有关家庭使用权选择的学术研究和政策辩论产生了浓厚的兴趣。尽管对住房使用权改变的真正原因进行了大量的研究和辩论，但对于导致这种现象的成因仍存在很多分歧。本文对有关权属决定的五个假设的美国经验证据进行了总结和批判：（1）收入，财富和就业状况；（2）生命周期因素；（3）用户成本，财务约束和经济下滑；（4）住宅的流动性和位置；（5）先前的任期。这项研究为地方和州的决策者提供了有用的信息，并纳入了权属选择研究的综合经验证据，方法论和变量。