房价是由市场决定的吗?——兼谈住房市场暴利与政府管制

House Prices and Housing Market:Excessive Profit and Government Regulation

近年来的一个热门话题就是房价暴涨,然而人们对于房价暴涨的真正原因还存在很多误解,很多人认为房价是由市场决定的,其实房价并非市场决定。由于住房生产的固有特点决定了住房市场是一个卖方垄断市场,这使得卖方有权力涨价;由于住房需求缺乏弹性,使得卖方又能够涨价,所以房价决定具有非市场性。因此对于卖方涨价牟利行为政府必须加强管制,这有利于效率、公平、稳定三者的增进,特别是能最大限度地控制贫富悬殊。

The soaring house prices, a hot issue in the recent years, have been misunderstood by those who believe that the house prices are determined by the housing market. In fact, the house prices are not determined by the housing market but by the non-market factors. The seller＇s market along with the non-marketability of the house buying leads to the rise of the house prices. Therefore, the government should strengthen the control of house prices in order to promote the efficiency, justice and stability, which can bridge the gap between the rich and the poor to a large extent.