OECD Economics Department Working Papers

ISSN :
1815-1973 (online)
DOI :
10.1787/18151973
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Working papers from the Economics Department of the OECD that cover the full range of the Department’s work including the economic situation, policy analysis and projections; fiscal policy, public expenditure and taxation; and structural issues including ageing, growth and productivity, migration, environment, human capital, housing, trade and investment, labour markets, regulatory reform, competition, health, and other issues.
 

How to Improve the Economic Policy Framework for the Housing Market in Israel You or your institution have access to this content

Authors:
Philip Hemmings
Publication Date
06 Dec 2011
Bibliographic information
No.:
912
Pages
32
DOI
10.1787/5kg0sjfjqz9x-en

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Israeli house prices have risen by over 50% over the past three years. In part this reflects the fact that for several years housing construction had not kept pace with increases in the number of households. In response to these developments, hitherto sluggish planning-approval processes are being speeded up. However, in addition low interest rates have been boosting demand, and there are concerns that prices have already been driven to bubble levels. Efforts have been made to subdue demand, and the market has cooled off somewhat, but there remains a risk of a hard landing with a sharp downward price correction and a contraction in construction activity. Recent price developments are not the only economic issue in Israeli housing. As in a number of other OECD countries, housing policies favour home ownership through tax settings and subsidies for house purchase, potentially raising issues of labour mobility. More generally, housing support (public housing and rent support as well as subsidies for purchase) endeavours to fulfil an unusually wide policy agenda that goes beyond simply assisting low-income households with their housing needs. This Working Paper relates to the OECD 2011 Economic Survey of Israel (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/Israel).
Keywords:
housing support, rent support, property tax, housing, rental market, rents, mortgages, Israeli house prices, planning regulation, construction, Israeli housing market, Israel, rent subsidy, housing markets, mortgage support, public housing, mortgage subsidy
JEL Classification:
  • G21: Financial Economics / Financial Institutions and Services / Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
  • I38: Health, Education, and Welfare / Welfare and Poverty / Government Policy; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
  • R21: Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics / Household Analysis / Housing Demand
  • R3: Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics / Housing Markets, Production Analysis, and Firm Location
  • R31: Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics / Housing Markets, Production Analysis, and Firm Location / Housing Supply and Markets
  • R38: Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics / Housing Markets, Production Analysis, and Firm Location / Government Policies; Regulatory Policies
  • R52: Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics / Regional Government Analysis / Land Use and Other Regulations