Bricks in the Wall: The Politics of Housing in Europe

This book examines the complex relationship between politics and housing markets, exploring how they shape each other and impact a range of social and political phenomena. It highlights the importance of housing in wealth inequality, welfare state reform, financial regulation, and political preferences. The contributions cover a diversity of cases in Western and Eastern Europe and theoretical paradigms, making it a valuable resource for scholars and policy makers.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 238 pages
Publication date: 25 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive volume delves into the intricate interplay between politics and housing markets, shedding light on how they mutually shape and influence each other. It showcases the profound impact of housing on a wide range of social and political phenomena, including populist politics, generational divides, wealth inequality, monetary policy, and the welfare state.

Housing and housing markets hold significant implications for economic stability, public policy, domestic politics, and wealth inequality in Europe and beyond. However, despite their immense importance, housing has received relatively limited attention in comparative politics scholarship. The contributions within this volume aim to push the boundaries of housing research and offer fresh, innovative perspectives.

The chapters in this book explore various aspects of housing's contribution to wealth inequality, its constraints on government policy choices in welfare state reform, and its potential to enhance government's powers in financial regulation. Other chapters shed light on the impact of housing on central bankers' motivations for implementing monetary expansion, the generational divide in gaining access to home-ownership, the influence of housing-driven wealth inequality on voters' political preferences towards right-wing populism, and the gradual shift of housing from a social right to an object of investment in Europe, even within its most egalitarian states.

These contributions cover a diverse range of cases in Western and Eastern Europe and employ theoretical paradigms that will appeal to scholars and policy makers alike. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of West European Politics, further emphasizing the significance of this topic in contemporary political discourse.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367743291