Housing Expenditure and Income Inequality

A-Tier
Journal: Economic Journal
Year: 2022
Volume: 132
Issue: 645
Pages: 1709-1736

Authors (3)

Christian Dustmann (not in RePEc) Bernd Fitzenberger (not in RePEc) Markus Zimmermann

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

The trend of rising income inequality in Germany since the mid-1990s is strongly amplified when considering income after housing expenditure. The income share of housing expenditure rose disproportionally for the bottom income quintile and fell for the top quintile. Factors contributing to these trends include declining relative costs of homeownership versus renting, changes in household structure, declining real incomes for low-income households and residential mobility towards larger cities. Younger cohorts spend more on housing and save less than older cohorts did at the same age, which will affect future wealth accumulation, particularly at the bottom of the income distribution.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:econjl:v:132:y:2022:i:645:p:1709-1736.
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25