Housing As a Social Right: From Theorizing to Practical Solutions

Many nations around the world have been facing a decrease in the affordability and accessibility of housing, particularly for individuals with lower incomes. This is because of the increased financialization of housing and the state's reduced involvement in housing policies, resulting in more market-driven decisions and reliance on families. Considering this context, it becomes crucial to view housing as a social right rather than just an asset and an investment policy. This session invites scholars to debate housing as a crucial social entitlement and as a component of the welfare state. It invites both theoretical and empirical papers addressing the following questions:

1)What is “a place” of housing in the welfare states literature? Is there a way to explain the development of housing using the old and new welfare state theories? How does the welfare state typology reflect in housing policies?

2)What are innovative solutions to the housing affordability issues? How can the balance be best achieved across the three key pillars of housing provision (state, market, family) to ensure that affordable housing is accessible to everyone?

This session welcomes comparative essays and case studies to address global housing challenges.