Some people think that as we get richer and build more housing that the average rent-to-income ratio will decline. This is wrong. I dive deep into the data, the economics, and the policy lessons here. www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/why-doesnt...

FET podcast #65: Reaction to "There is no housing crisis" I respond to push back against my claims that the housing market is operating as we should expect it to. www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-63-rea...

New at FET: You can't buy a home young if you aren't working young We are buying homes older because we are doing everything older www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/you-cant-b...

New at FET: A guest post by Arek Drozda on how to avoid housing slop and understand pricing in an economically sensible way. www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/why-home-p...

I had a great chat with The Boyd Institute on housing markets. Is there a crisis? What can we expect from housing markets? Plus, what happens when we zoom out to a global and long-term perspective? Enjoy. www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/economist-...

FET #63: Is Canada's housing market a glimpse into the future for Australia? I chat with @johnpasalis.bsky.social about the radical change in Canada's housing market over the past few years—from feverish boom to grinding down. www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-63-is-...

New at FET: Filtering Across Space and Time: A Scale Synthesis of Housing Supply Quantity change at a local spatial scale can be redistribution at wider spatial scale www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/filtering-...

FET #62: Does economic complexity mean good jobs and high wages? A companion conversation to the FET article "Australia's economic complexity is fine, actually" www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-61-doe...

Supply and demand: The NESTED nature of trading dimensions When economists talk about marginal costs do they know which margin? Let's think more clearly about ALL the margins. Very relevant to debates about the "marginal cost of supplying a new home" www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/supply-and...

New at FET: Charts that lie go viral www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/charts-tha...

Here are some articles I've released from behind the FET paywall to promote a better public conversation. You will find deep dives on housing, planning, energy, cost-of-living, and superannuation. All comments, shares, and likes are appreciated www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/i-believe-...

New FET podcast: The shakedown business How does the Iron Law of Oligarchy apply to day-to-day business? www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-60-the...

New FET podcast: How investment returns shape housing markets with Mike Fellman Ignoring the housing assets fit into the broader asset market environment can lead astray analysis on what determines why new homes are built www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-61-how...

New FET podcast: How investment returns shape housing markets with Mike Fellman Ignoring the housing assets fit into the broader asset market environment can lead astray analysis on what determines why new homes are built www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-61-how...

New FET podcast: The shakedown business How does the Iron Law of Oligarchy apply to day-to-day business? www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-60-the...

Here are some articles I've released from behind the FET paywall to promote a better public conversation. You will find deep dives on housing, planning, energy, cost-of-living, and superannuation. All comments, shares, and likes are appreciated www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/i-believe-...

New at FET: Charts that lie go viral www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/charts-tha...

Supply and demand: The NESTED nature of trading dimensions When economists talk about marginal costs do they know which margin? Let's think more clearly about ALL the margins. Very relevant to debates about the "marginal cost of supplying a new home" www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/supply-and...

FET #59: Unlearning Economics explains the rent control taboo Will rent control destroy your city? Or is this a slogan economists use to signal their tribal allegiance? Watch here: www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-59-unl... @unlearnecon.bsky.social

WATCH: What is the economic answer to the question: why are houses built? Tim Helm has been working with @drcameronmurray to explore the current theories and see how effective they are at answering the question. www.youtube.com/watc...

Have you heard that Australia’s economic complexity has radically declined? Sounds bad. But what if this is mostly a measurement artefact? Get informed with this new FET article www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/australias...

FET #56: How to beat the "cost of living crisis" and get financially independent A chat with Matt from Aussie Firebug on the tricks to reduce spending, boost saving and take responsibility for your financial life. www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-56-how...

New FET article: Forget land, labour and capital—BELIEFS are the supreme economic production factor Beliefs are the first step in any economic activity. How and why do they matter, and how do we sustain the most useful beliefs? www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/forget-lan...

Opposition to rent control massively overemphasises the negatives while all but ignoring the positives. The debate is stuck in the past. www.currentaffairs.org/news/rent-co...

New FET article: Supply and demand: The MANY DIMENSIONS of housing (Part II) Supply and demand of what? That is a question we always need to ask to make sure we are coherent in our economic analysis www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/supply-and...

New FET article: I believe our public conversations about economics can be better In the interest of broadening the public debate, I have released several articles from 2024 from behind the paywall. Please enjoy, like, comment, share and subscribe. www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/i-believe-...

New FET: Talking economics in Sydney An update on a series of presentations in Sydney this week www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/talking-ec...

New FET article: Would land value tax really solve that? I dig into the Georgist idea of switching from property to land value taxes and show that this switch will RAISE home and land values, not decrease them. Which is fine. But not what most expect www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/was-henry-...

A personal story about myocarditis, death and the COVID vaccines www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/death-and-...

New FET article: Supply and Demand: They MUST apply to housing (Part I) Those who say supply and demand don't apply to housing are wrong. Yet most of those who swear that their version of supply and demand explains home prices are wrong too! www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/supply-and...

FET podcast #57: Is it crazy to tax unrealised gains in superannuation? Talking tax with John Humphreys www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-57-you...

Is the media misrepresenting the “housing crisis” in Australia? I chat in this FET podcast with ANU Professor Ben Phillips about the puzzling fact that rent-to-income ratios are near their lowest in a decade. www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-56-why...

Explainer: Supply Constraints do not Explain House Price and Quantity Growth We unpack a paper making waves amongst urbanists, economists, and YIMBYs. Did it claim that supply/demand don't apply? Did they forget about population deterrence? Find out👇 www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/explainer-...

Lulz the pro-superannuation tax rorters still wheeling out the line about how many will be affected in 30 years time. 30 years ago the top income tax rate threshold was $50,000. Oddly it is now $190,000. Bizarre. I thought these things are not able to change in 30 years!

To raise the quality of public debate, I have removed the paywall from this FET article. It explains how most housing supply debates confuse density (dwellings/area) with the rate of production (dwellings/period). Please like, share, comment, subscribe www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/please-sto...

New FET video and article: Does density destroy fertility? A discussion with special guest Daniel Hess www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-55-dan...

Yeah, the 80,000 people with super balances over $3m are in a panic because the earnings attributed to that amount over $3m will get a 15% tax discount instead of 30%. FMD.

A chat with my co-host Jonathan Gadir about the surprisingly streamlined way Australia votes in elections. I also share a few insights about the dirty tactics political parties use at polling booths based on my own experience as a political candidate. www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-54-aus...

New FET article: Retirement Rort: The economic case against Australia’s superannuation orthodoxy Here's why it is time to move on from "super is good, let's improve it" to "super is fundamentally flawed, let's scrap it" www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/mega-post-...

New FET article: Retirement Rort: The economic case against Australia’s superannuation orthodoxy Here's why it is time to move on from "super is good, let's improve it" to "super is fundamentally flawed, let's scrap it" www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/mega-post-...

New FET article: Rent, Rage, Repeat: Housing’s predictable election comeback Australia’s election is once again focused on housing policy. I dive into the history, politics, and economics of housing policy promises in this article. www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/rent-rage-...

New FET: Devaluating Everything. Universities How technology, feminisation, and immigration are devaluing universities www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/devaluatin...

New FET article: Construction costs DO NOT increase housing asset prices, they SHAPE the density and quality of the pool of feasible homes (Part II) Please like, comment, share, subscribe Worth a sub or a free trial IMHO www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/constructi...

I spoke with Get Rich Slow Club about what's happening in the housing market and how to look past the media headlines. Enjoy youtu.be/tbmyQXjp-Ko

Trump and Musk scrapped USAID. But is that all bad? Read this opinion piece from an industry insider about how aid industrial complex is not what you might think, and have a listen to the podcast. www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-53-how...

New FET article: The farmland fallacy: Why residential land will not be priced at agricultural value without planning regulations And why this strange idea pervades housing economics Please like, share, comment, subscribe www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/yes-it-is-...

FET #52: Can we save 300 lives and $20 billion a year using basic economics to reduce road fatalities? www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-52-can...

ICYMI The idea of "filtering" looms large in housing supply debates. But I suspect that it is a stand-in for two ideas - what causes new homes to be built, and whether the housing location regulations can compress the income/wealth distribution. www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/why-is-the...

Attention housing analysts, economists, and YIMBYs. I have dropped the paywall on this article. It goes deep into the economic reason that markets rationally delay building feasible new homes. Please like, share, comment, and subscribe. www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/explainer-...

Has Australia had a shocking decline in construction productivity as the PC reported? I explain the problems with their lightweight analysis and handwavy economics. Worth a sub if you want to learn how the productivity-measurement sausage is made www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/despite-wh...