The Estimation and Determinants of the Price Elasticity of Housing Supply: Evidence from China

This paper provides a first look at estimates of the price elasticity of housing supply in China at both the national and city levels. Using a panel dataset consisting of 35 cities in China from 1998 to 2009, we find the implied national price elasticity of housing supply to be between 2.8 and 5.6. Our city-level analysis reveals that geographic, economic as well as regulatory factors are significant determinants of the variation in the observed price elasticity of housing supply. The study of a different regulatory and economic environment contributes to the growing literature on supply elasticity and helps explain the seemingly wide variation in supply elasticities observed across cities and countries.