Housing Markets and Housing Institutions: An International Comparison

International comparisons of economic institutions and government poli­ cies are fraught with difficulties. After1he selective barriers of language and culture are overcome, differences in programs and outcomes are far more subtle than those that can be revealed by highly aggregated national data. Rela­ tively "soft" comparisons are the norm in international comparative research. This is particularly true in comparative analyses of housing and the operation of housing markets. Housing markets are local or regional in character, and the effects of government programs on market outcomes depend upon important economic characteristics of the local environment. Moreover, the institutions that influence the production, distribution, and consumption of housing differ enormously across nations. The distribution of housing and the role of the market in provision depend upon historical and social factors as well. Aggregate national data are unlikely to allow for much depth in comparisons across societies. Yet in the absence of such comparisons, the very visibility of housing may lead to inadequate or erroneous generalizations. Photographs emphasing the aesthetics of ''well­ planned" housing agglomorations or urban slums are compelling. Documen­ tation that middle-class households must wait in a queue for a decade to be housed is notably less graphic.

1 Housing Markets and Housing Institutions in a Comparative Context.- Housing Is Peculiar.- Housing Policies Are Special.- The Rationale of this Book.- Metropolitan Markets in National Economies.- A Taxonomy of Housing Policies.- Conclusion.- 2 The Swedish Housing Market: Development and Institutional Setting Alex Anas.- The State, the Counties, and the Municipalities.- Housing Policy.- The Planning System.- Land Use and the Ownership, Supply, and Pricing of Land.- The Housing Stock, Housing Production, and the Building Sector.- Financing of New Construction and Modernization.- Pricing, Rent Control, Rent Pooling, and Rent Negotiations.- The Public Queue: The Case of Greater Stockholm.- Swapping, Black Markets, Mobility, and Household Formation.- Housing Allowances.- Housing and Income Tax.- Conclusions.- 3 The Finnish Housing Market: Structure, Institutions, and Policy Issues.- Historical Background.- Urban Land.- Administration of Housing and Urban Planning.- Housing Production.- Development of the Dwelling Stock and Housing Finance.- Pricing of Housing.- Obtaining Shelter in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.- Mobility, Household Formation, and the Housing Market.- Housing Allowances.- Housing and the Income and Wealth Taxes.- Conclusions.- 4 The Functioning of the Housing Market in Amsterdam.- An Institutional-Economic Framework.- The City of Amsterdam.- The Development of the Housing System.- Population, Housing, and Mobility in Amsterdam.- The Planning System.- Pricing and Financing.- The Allocation of Households to Dwellings.- The Black Market: Squatting.- Conclusions.- 5 Housing in San Francisco: Shelter in the Market Economy.- The San Francisco Bay Area.- Federal and State Housing Policy.- Regionalism and Localism in Bay Area Land Use and Development 195 Summary and Conclusions.- 6 Analysis of the Housing Sector, The Housing Market, and Housing Policy in the Budapest Metropolitan Area.- The Budapest Metropolitan Area in the Settlement System of Hungary and Central Europe.- Development of the Housing Sector in Budapest.- Housing Quality and the Evolution of Financing.- Conclusion.- 7 The Vienna Housing Market: Structure, Problems, and Policies.- The Structure of the Housing Market in Metropolitan Vienna.- The Governmental Role in the Housing Market.- Conclusion: Major Impacts of Housing Policies.- 8 Glasgow: From Mean City to Miles Better.- The Message and the Medium.- Time’s Arrow.- New Pluralism.- Remaking Council Housing.- Conclusion.