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Housing policy and the changing tenure mix

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2020

Christine Whitehead
Christine Whitehead*
Affiliation:
London School of Economics, Emeritus Professor of Housing Economics
*
E-mail: C.M.E.Whitehead@lse.ac.uk
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Abstract

The paper discusses the many reasons why housing policy can appear to be both incoherent and ineffective - with too many Departments involved each with different objectives and a plethora of policies pulling in different directions. Drawing on earlier research findings the paper discusses three examples which have impacted on tenure mix – the growth in the private rented sector where policy initiatives – except for unintended side effects – have been limited and market and macroeconomic pressures have dominated; a range of tax anomalies which provide inconsistent incentives and generate considerable costs to the economy; and the impact of specific policies which concentrate on supporting owner-occupation through new build initiatives. The paper concludes by asking whether housing policy is inherently unable to withstand the pressures placed on it by both politics and macroeconomic realities.

Keywords

housing policyprivate rented sectorhousing taxationnew buildowner-occupationH11H24H31H44
Type
Research Articles
Information
National Institute Economic Review , Volume 245 , August 2018 , pp. R34 - R39
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 National Institute of Economic and Social Research

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