Housing Shortage in a Historical Perspective: Documenting Housing Rents and Housing Affordability in Stockholm 1900-1920
(2025) EKHS12 20251Department of Economic History
- Abstract
- Satisfying one of the most basal needs, access to housing has been a determining factor for living standards throughout history. However, in many historical cost-of-living studies, housing costs have often been challenging to measure due to the lack of data. The housing component in the consumption basket has therefore often been based on theorised assumptions or indices derived from proxy-variables. Utilising a unique set of microdata encompassing information on both housing rents and incomes, this thesis estimates the level of housing rents and housing affordability in Stockholm, Sweden in 1900 and 1920, and explores how this varied between social classes. The study finds that a significantly larger share of the household budget was... (More)
- Satisfying one of the most basal needs, access to housing has been a determining factor for living standards throughout history. However, in many historical cost-of-living studies, housing costs have often been challenging to measure due to the lack of data. The housing component in the consumption basket has therefore often been based on theorised assumptions or indices derived from proxy-variables. Utilising a unique set of microdata encompassing information on both housing rents and incomes, this thesis estimates the level of housing rents and housing affordability in Stockholm, Sweden in 1900 and 1920, and explores how this varied between social classes. The study finds that a significantly larger share of the household budget was reserved for housing rents, and that this variable was more dynamic, than what is often assumed by the literature. Notably, despite times of rapid urbanisation and population growth, the income-share spent on housing did not increase. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9203492
- author
- Kirkedam, Marie Heglum LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- EKHS12 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- language
- English
- id
- 9203492
- date added to LUP
- 2025-08-18 10:51:20
- date last changed
- 2025-08-18 10:51:20
@misc{9203492,
abstract = {{Satisfying one of the most basal needs, access to housing has been a determining factor for living standards throughout history. However, in many historical cost-of-living studies, housing costs have often been challenging to measure due to the lack of data. The housing component in the consumption basket has therefore often been based on theorised assumptions or indices derived from proxy-variables. Utilising a unique set of microdata encompassing information on both housing rents and incomes, this thesis estimates the level of housing rents and housing affordability in Stockholm, Sweden in 1900 and 1920, and explores how this varied between social classes. The study finds that a significantly larger share of the household budget was reserved for housing rents, and that this variable was more dynamic, than what is often assumed by the literature. Notably, despite times of rapid urbanisation and population growth, the income-share spent on housing did not increase.}},
author = {{Kirkedam, Marie Heglum}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Housing Shortage in a Historical Perspective: Documenting Housing Rents and Housing Affordability in Stockholm 1900-1920}},
year = {{2025}},
}