Housing Policy and Practice (Public Policy and Politics)

This is a new edition of a book first published in 1982, which was extended and revised in 1987. In the third edition chapters 1,5,7,10,11 and 12 have been completely rewritten, and chapter 6 has been substantially amended. Other chapters remain essentially unaltered. The framework and approach of the book remains largely as in earlier editions, taking into account recent changes in policy and practice. The aim of this book is to provide a distinctive analysis of British housing policy and practice in which an examination of national policy is linked to studies at the local level, and to contemporary academic debates about housing and the state in modern capitalist society. The approach adopted here is based on the fact that housing policy and practice involves both central and local government in significant but different ways, and that it is necessary to transcend the national or local focus in order to see what is going on. Not only are both central and local government involved in housing, but they are engaged in complex relationships with each other as well as other state and private institutions. The book does not attempt to be comprehensive; it is increasingly apparent that comprehensive accounts of housing policy and practice cannot be contained within one volume without sacrificing essential analysis and discussion. Instead the approach is thematic and selective. A main theme is the distinct contribution of central and local government in housing policy and practice, and the importance of the relationship between these two levels of state activity. As an analytical device, this focus provides a framework on which to build an understanding of the involvement of other state institutions and private interests. A very important idea underpinning the analysis and presentation is the need to avoid a tenure-by-tenure approach. A basic assumption in this book is that tenure divisions can often obscure more than they reveal, and that changes affecting the different tenures have to be understood as being closely interrelated.