Thesis (Th. M.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 1995. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 81-86).

This dissertation uses property values to investigate the economic effect of public expenditures for operations and capital improvements on place value. Given the increasing role of nonprofit services in augmenting those of cities and school districts, the dissertation research investigates whether nonprofit expenditures join those of cities and school districts as Tiebout commodities, thereby contributing to place value. Furthermore, the research examines whether those expenditures contribute to reducing the inequities in the distribution of property wealth. The conceptual framework for the dissertation is the Tiebout model and its various extensions. The model proposes that individuals have different preferences for public goods and services, and there are many jurisdictions that vary in the services provided. Consequently, individuals shop around for the community that best matches their preferences and locate in the one that maximizes their utility. If the model correctly predicts households' behavior, then the quality of public goods and services provided by a community will affect its desirability. The more attractive a community, the higher the demand for its properties, which results in higher property values. The dissertation research finds that city public capital spending positively impacts property values in two ways. Property values respond positively to (1) the announcement of capital investments (i.e., ongoing capital expenditures), and (2) the amenity created when capital projects become operational (i.e., when operating expenditures are combined with capital stock). The results also show that nonprofit capital stock and spending on operations affect property values differently depending on the nonprofit category. The findings further reveal that local public and nonprofit spending benefit owners of lower and medium valued properties more than owners of higher valued properties. This finding suggests that local government and nonprofit spending contribute to reducing inequities in the distribution of property wealth.

For several decades, Turkey has witnessed increasing investments in housing. There is evidence that some households benefited from this increase. The transfer of housing assets today is also an extensive social and economic phenomenon different from the traditional processes. There are several issues related to this process the most significant being the universal concern for its contribution to wealth polarization. Supply impacts in the markets are other aspect of the same process. Since greater accumulation of housing wealth has pooled in the hands of household heads aging 50 and more, the process of housing wealth transfers will gain significance soon. No extensive study of this process has yet been made. After reviewing the factors affecting the process of wealth transfers and elaborating the institutional background of inheritance, the intergenerational property transfers in Turkey are examined with the 1994 Households Income and Consumption Expenditures Survey, The Population Census and The Death Statistics of Turkey. It is possible to develop a model to investigate the number of potential benefactors and beneficiaries and, the prospective property transferred in one year as a result of inheritance. Then, the amount of transfer taxes by Ministry of Finance could be compared with taxes realized for the same year, as one method of exploring problems of process of housing inheritance in Turkey. The results depict that in one year 30 477 individual property owners die and approximately 102 000 individuals benefit. It is concluded that property wealth is in general transferred to those who are already homeowners. It is observed that the amount to be taken by the Treasury as inheritance tax should be 13 times greater than the actual amount transferred. And finally, it is concluded that taxation system should not be the only solution for the problems in inheritance processes, but Reverse Mortgage may be a solution for transmission of wealth inequalities and for the efficient use of inherited property. It is also mentioned that inherited properties may be pilot areas for new rehabilitation projects for declining neighborhoods.