Housing demand in the economic framework

A reflection on the suggestion of reading "Two housing reform" if we examine the housing situation of middle-income families in China according to the economic Analysis framework, although the size of the housing area is different, lots of good and poor quality, but are in proportion to their ability to pay, through or buy or rent market transactions, Therefore, it can be said that the housing needs have been met/Lo Yunyi recently, in a proposal on "two housing reform", the author suggested that "a good housing system must meet the housing needs of low-income, middle-income and high-income families as well as the entire population." After the introduction of the national "low-rent Housing security Plan 2009-2011", the guarantee housing system basically satisfied the housing demand of low-income families.　　The commodity housing system meets the housing needs of high-income families, but does not meet the housing needs of middle-income families. This is clearly a very important point that deserves serious discussion, but unfortunately the author has not given any arguments. The first question arises: how should the housing needs of middle-income families be defined? Is this article recommended 90 square meters? If the answer is yes, what is the basis for such a definition? Second, step back, we would like to admit such a 90 square meters demand standard, but also ask in what lot, according to what quality standard construction of 90 square meters. It is well known that the difference between different sections and different quality housing is quite large. If such problems are not addressed, the question of whether the housing needs of middle-income families can be met is a matter of general rhetoric. In fact, even in the housing needs of low-income families and high-income families, there is a question of how to define the problem before it can be met. For example, the results of the 2005 National 1% Population Survey showed that even in the high-income families of our country's cities, there are still some families living in the area below 60 square meters. At the same time, there are some low-income families living area of more than 90 square meters. So, can we say that the housing needs of those high-income families with a living area below 60 sq m are not met, and that the housing needs of low-income families with a living area of more than 90 square meters have been exceeded?　　In short, without a clear definition of housing demand, it is difficult to judge whether a social group's housing needs are reasonable or unreasonable, and it is difficult to tell if the demand is met. So how do we define people's demand for housing? In reality, people have different opinions, the definition of the concept of housing demand is diverse, and there is no uniform answer, there is no unique definition. One can set a standard for housing demand on the basis of "satisfying human dignity", as well as defining another kind of housing demand as a starting point for "People's basic needs", and can also propose some criteria from the so-called international comparison results. These definitions or concepts may have their own rationality, but their elasticity is undoubtedly very large, with strong uncertainty. As the housing policy relates directly to the division of material resourcesDeserve to be constrained by the scarcity of resources, so our discussion is under the framework of economics. In general, the economic sense of demand is not the natural needs of people or people's willingness to demand, but its ability to pay the needs associated with. "Economists use the concept of demand to describe the number of goods or services that households or manufacturers choose to buy at a certain price". Or demand is a function that reflects how much a consumer is willing and able to buy a product at a certain price level. Such a definition includes two meanings. On the one hand, the goods on the market are always scarce, only according to the principle of market economy based on each person's pay status, rather than according to their personal wishes to allocate resources. On the other hand, consumer demand is multifaceted, but due to its budgetary constraints, he has to allocate his limited purchasing power in various fields according to his personal preference, thus satisfying the willingness to acquire different goods or services. Therefore, the core of the concept of demand in the economic sense is the ability to pay rather than the will. "Economists are concerned not only with what people want, but by what they choose to buy in terms of spending that is limited by their budget constraints and the prices of various commodities that are known." "Every parent wants their child to receive the highest level of education, women are full of fancy diamond ring, many people are very interested in space travel, but if there is not enough to support the ability to pay, this will not be achieved, and finally can only be willing, or" natural demand ", Rather than in the economic sense of demand. The same in the housing sector, regardless of income level, every family wants to live a large area, better quality, beautiful environment, convenient transportation of the house, it is reasonable. But under the definition of economic needs, whether it is a low-income family, a middle-income family, or a high-income family, so long as its desire to acquire a certain quality of housing is not backed by a corresponding ability to pay, even if such a desire seems reasonable from other angles, it can only be a wish, Cannot constitute the economic sense of demand, of course, can not talk about meeting the problem of unsatisfied. It seems a bit unkind to conclude that there is not enough capacity to pay, even if demand is not recognized. This is some kind of regret, but it has to be so.　　Because economics is most concerned with the efficient allocation of scarce resources, it is sometimes less sentimental and less impersonal.　　So what is the satisfaction of demand in the analytical framework of economics? "In economics, we are interested in the ability to clear out the market's sales volume, that is, the equilibrium quantity," Samuelson said. We also want to know what the number of consumers willing to buy is exactly the same price level as the number of producers willing to sell. Only at this level will buyers and sellers meet at the same time. According to Samuelson's analysis, the satisfaction of the buyers and sellers is achieved through the market clearing, that is, the completion of the transaction. In the market, both consumers and producers are realistic. If producers simply say at what price they are willing to sell, consumers are just sayingIn what price is willing to buy, the two sides do not have real, that is not the actual transaction behavior, it is impossible to produce a balanced price, the allocation of resources can not be completed, then the consumer still can not get the goods or services he wants, how can we talk about the satisfaction of what needs. In fact, from the above discussion of the concept of economic requirements can be seen, consumers at a certain market price level through the expenditure of money to obtain the goods or services he wants, the satisfaction or realization of their needs are always linked to their purchase behavior.　　In addition, economics emphasizes the concept of capacity to pay, and the ability to pay is not the size of the mouth to be able to determine, to pass the true gold and silver real pay by the practice of testing, which also requires the completion of the actual transaction. In short, the economic need to meet the needs of the actual completion of the transaction as a sign, on the other hand, the actual completion of the transaction for consumers also means that their needs have been met. Here, let's look at an empirical material. According to the results of the 2005 survey of 1% population, China's urban middle-income families (including the middle 6 grades by very law) have an average monthly income of 1362 Yuan in 2005, through their own construction, purchase, Leasing, such as the average housing construction area of 81.6 square meters, the average purchase of housing costs of 57,000 yuan. In the same period, high-income families (including the highest two grades by the very law) earned an average monthly income of 4353 yuan, the average housing construction area of 93.8 square meters, the average purchase of housing costs of 149,000 yuan.　　From this data, it may be said that China's urban middle-income families to meet the needs of housing demand roughly with its ability to pay, is the so-called "a penny, a penny, a demand, a point satisfied." Obviously, if we examine the housing situation of our middle-income families according to the Economic Analysis framework, in spite of the large size of the houses, the good and the poor, the quality varies, but they are matched by their ability to pay, obtained through or buying or renting market transactions, so that their housing needs have been met, It is as if the needs of these families in other areas (such as higher education, tourism, transportation and communication tools, home appliances, etc.) have also been satisfied with their ability to pay. However, from the perspective of policy research, the definition of housing demand for middle-income families may still be explored from a broader perspective, and the theoretical framework of economics is not the only option. One of the aims of this article is to avoid "clear" judgments based on vague or Station concepts or on the basis of a custom concept when conducting economic policy studies. (Author: Director of Investment Institute of National Development and Reform Commission)