Are people greedier here? Recently, I had an op-ed in the Star Tribune arguing that the high housing costs we face in Minnesota are not a problem, but rather a…
Census Bureau data show that, in 2021, Minnesota lost 13,453 residents to other states, its biggest net loss of domestic migrants to other states in at least 30 years. Data…
Broad agreement exists that we suffer an affordable housing crisis in Minnesota — especially in the Twin Cities. The cause is no mystery. Affordable housing is scarce here because state…
Last week, I testified in front of the Senate Committee on Housing Finance and Policy in support of SF 3259. This bill would give cities the ability to impose both…
The rent control ordinance passed in St. Paul last November is having exactly the consequences that were predicted before it was passed. If you set a price below a market…
High prices are not problems in themselves; rather, they are symptoms of underlying problems which lead demand to outstrip supply. Digging into these underlying problems and their causes requires some…
Back in July, I had a column in the Duluth News Tribune about how federal government tariffs on Canadian lumber would serve to make housing less affordable. I noted that…
One of the most important things to remember in economics is that prices aren’t problems; they are signals, telling you what is going on with the demand and supply of…
Even though both theory and evidence show that rent control is bad public policy, Minneapolis’ city council continues to pursue it as a solution to the city’s shortage of affordable…
In my Star Tribune op-ed ‘Minnesota, we have a problem‘ last month, I mentioned our state’s racial disparities. Among others, I mentioned the disparity in homeownership rates specifically. In June,…
On August 20, Minnpost reported, The Minneapolis Planning Commission this week supported a proposed ordinance that would further regulate the types of materials developers of residential and commercial buildings put…
I’ve written before about how affordable housing in the Twin Cities is rare because it’s illegal to build: After all, high prices are simply a signal that demand, in this…
Lack of access to affordable housing is a big issue in Minnesota, especially in the Twin Cities. While most of the effort geared towards alleviating this issue has centered around…
I wasn’t a fan of President Trump’s trade policy. In April 2018, I wrote: ‘Trump’s tariffs could spark trade war that will cost many Americans‘; in May 2019, I wrote:…
Recently I wrote about the Panelház of Budapest, dwellings which were mass produced in parts by the communist government of Hungary and assembled onsite. I didn’t write about these grim…
Rent control is making a comeback in Minneapolis. According to the Star Tribune, the Minneapolis City Council is pushing two charter amendments that would ask voters to cap rent hikes.…
Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote that Berlin’s rent controls had slowed house building in the city. To recap, the German capital’s population is growing rapidly which means that the…
Sioux Falls has strong demand for housing but is relatively affordable because more houses are built. Supply expands to accommodate rising demand which helps keep prices low. This is is…
Governor Walz's stringent eviction moratorium, together with the CDC eviction moratorium, has hamstrung small property owners, negatively impacting their revenues and could potentially lead to a worsening housing crisis in…
Due to increased vacancies, landlords are offering lower rents and other pricing incentives. This should show Minnesota policymakers that to sustainably address the affordable housing crisis, efforts should center around…
As the state looks to a post-Covid-19 future, what economic policies can help us get back on our feet?
Liberals and the “Progressive” politicians to their left love to use the buzzwords of “equity, diversity, and inclusivity,” but politicians like Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Jacob Frey have erased…
In June, American Experiment released a groundbreaking new report taking a look at the lack of affordable housing in Minnesota. One of the findings of that report found that government…
When policymakers impose regulations in the name of something like fighting climate change, they are sacrificing affordable housing in pursuit of that goal. Too often, rather than admitting this, they…