ABSTRACT
The explanatory content of a good many econometric investigations is weakened by the unsatisfactory nature of the behavioural assumptions of equations employed in the construction of theory and by formulations at the wrong level of aggregation. The logistics of the industry only rarely permitted these specialized house builders to execute projects contemporaneously in different parts of a large city. A trend towards concentration would alternatively yield greater rigidity in behaviour. The availability of building plan registers containing listings of specifications of approved applications for building permission, creates considerable opportunities for research in this relatively neglected area of the industry’s internal structure. The only comparative statistics relate to building project sizes in Leicester during the period 1850-1900, 70 per cent of which involved less than five houses. A more accurate statistic of the latter is obtained by calculating the proportion of total houses built by the first 20 per cent of rank ordered firms from year to year.
