Based on the work of Karl "Chip" Case, who is renowned for his scientific contributions to the economics of housing and public policy, this is a must read during a time of restructuring our nation's system of housing finance.

Originally published in 1978, this book analyses three main approaches to national housing policy in the 20th Century in Sweden, the UK and USA. It reviews policy developments and considers the impact of policy on the housing conditions and costs of different sections of the community. A major theme is that British and American governments, contrary to their stated objectives, have actually increased housing inequality by allowing homeowners tax concessions which are more generous than the housing welfare programmes available to tenants. The political pressures which produced this outcome in Britain and the USA, but a quite different and more egalitarian outcome in Sweden, are carefully discussed. Throughout the book, policy making is regarded as involving trade-offs between what is politically feasible and what is operationally feasible. This framework enables readers to view policy making from the perspective of politicians and civil servants as they react to diverse demands and pressures and seek to devise housing programmes which embody incentives to which housing financiers builders and consumers will respond.

The stirrings of reform or more of the same? U.S. Housing Policy, Politics, and Economics shares a stark and urgent message. With a new president in the White House and the economy emerging from its peak pandemic lows, the time is right for transformative federal housing legislation—but only if Congress can transcend partisan divides. Drawing on nearly a century of legislative and policy data, this briefing for scholars and professionals quantifies the effects of Democratic or Republican control of the executive and legislative branches on housing prices and policies nationwide. It exposes the lasting consequences of Congress’ more than a decade of failure to pass meaningful housing laws and makes clear just how narrow the current window for action is. Equal parts analysis and call to arms, U.S. Housing Policy, Politics, and Economics is essential reading for everyone who cares about affordable, accessible housing.

This book unifies housing policy by integrating industrialized and developing-country interventions in the housing sector into a comprehensive global framework. One hundred indicators are used to compare housing policies and conditions in 53 countries. Statistical analysis confirms that--after accounting for economic development--enabling housing policies result in improved housing conditions.