Mayoral Views on the Housing Crisis’ Causes and Solutions (APSS)

You’re invited to join Katherine Levine Einstein, Associate Professor of Political Science at Boston University, for an American Politics Speaker Series discussion sponsored by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and the Center for American Political Studies.

Registration is encouraged but not required. This event series will not be recorded.

This event is open to Harvard ID holders only. Lunch will be served.

Abstract

Economists and policy analysts broadly agree that we need to build more housing in order to reduce costs in our most expensive cities. Doing so has proven politically challenging; community residents and local leaders have resisted reform, with many questioning whether or not building more housing actually reduces housing prices. While supply skepticism has been broadly documented in the mass public, we have little systematic evidence on its prevalence among public officials–and the extent to which these (mis)perceptions predict housing policy preferences. We use a novel survey of mayors of mid-sized and large cities to explore mayors’ views on the roots of America’s housing crisis, and what solutions they believe will most effectively address their constituents’ housing challenges. We summarize mayors’ attitudes and perceptions on key issues related to expanding the housing supply and we report how well these views correlate with mayors’ assessments of their own cities’ supply needs.

About the Series

The United States is a crossroads. How can Americans connect to each other in deep and meaningful ways, despite holding drastically different political world views? What are the causes and consequences of our nation’s historic levels of partisan polarization? Just how far can democratic backsliding go? The American Politics Speaker Series (APSS) aims to bring together scholars who are doing research on these and other important questions. Hosted jointly with the Center for American Political Studies and chaired by Professors Benjamin Schneer and Justin de Benedictis-Kessner, each session will highlight a scholar whose research is at the forefront of the study of American politics.

Event Details

The Ash Center encourages individuals with disabilities to participate in its events. Should you wish to enquire about an accommodation, please contact our events team at info@ash.harvard.edu prior to the event.