From public housing to the social market1995

In this volume, Jim Kemeny develops a new approach to the comparative study of rental markets. The framework used takes the concept of the process of maturation of non-profit rental housing as its starting point. It shows how two broad policy strategies have been developed to channel maturation in different ways. These are the 'dualist' system of state control of non-profit renting, which residualises it and protects profit renting from competition. This strategy is used in English-speaking countries, and Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand are presented as case studies. The other strategy is to develop a 'unitary rental market' by integrating non-profit renting with profit renting to create a single rental market. This strategy derives from the German concept of the social market, and Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland are presented as case studies. Jim Kemeny shows how each system derives from differences in the representation of vested interests, is informed by different assumptions governing how markets operate, and gives rise to different sets of policy problems. Offering a radical critique of the orthodox view, it is argued that the time is now right for English-speaking nations to abandon state control over cost renting and allow it to compete directly with profit renting, as in the 'unitary market' model. International in scope, this dynamic, innovative volume will be of great interest to researchers in housing, sociology and related fields.