Regulatory Barriers to the Diffusion of Innovation: Some Evidence from Building Codes
Volume: Volume 8, No. 2
Issue: Autumn 1977
Pages: pp. 361-377
Authors: Sharon M. Oster and John M. Quigley
Title: Regulatory Barriers to the Diffusion of Innovation: Some Evidence from Building Codes
Abstract: Previous studies, including the reports of the Douglas and Kaiser Commission, have suggested that outmoded local regulation of residential construction has impeded technical progress in the industry. In this paper, we try to identify the determinants of differences across communities in these regulations. The permissibility of four particular innovations in a cross section of jurisdictions in 1970 and the timing of these innovations are explained by attributes of local firms, labor unions, building officials, and housing demand. Our results suggest that the educational level of the chief building official, the extent of unionization, and the relative size of housebuilding firms in an area affect the diffusion of innovations in residential construction.
JEL Classification
Industry Studies Construction (6340)
Housing Economics including urban and nonurban housing (9320)
Technological Change and Innovation (6211)