Research Project: Housing Policies in the European Union

Concept

The conceptual approach involved a systematic comparison of policy goals and instruments as well as their underlying conditions. It was based on a qualitative survey addressed at academic country-specific experts and is supplemented by further information by the national Housing Focal Points. The questionnaire included closed questions, e.g. regarding the existence of policies and specific regulations, as well as open questions, e.g. to describe the functions of administrative instruments. It was supplemented by an analysis of secondary statistical data on housing markets to support the responses of country experts.

The research concept also included in-depth studies on ‘Strategies for dealing with the impact of the economic and financial crisis’, ‘Analysis of the competitive conditions between the tenures owner-occupation and rental housing’ and ‘EU activities related to the housing market’. For this purpose, case studies were conducted for selected countries with the help of guided expert interviews in order to deal with specific problems and their causes. The selection of countries for the case studies relies on different country groupings produced in relation to the respective topics and the previously developed structural characteristics and adaptation dynamics.

Tasks

The overall approach can be broken down in two separate tasks:

First, to give a comprehensive overview of housing policy issues in all Member States of the EU, using a standardised country profile format. The profiles include constitutive issues, organisational aspects as well as a description of the most important policy instruments and their adaption to actual housing problems in each member state.
Second, to provide deeper insights into specific issues of housing policies, exemplary countries are selected on the basis of problem-centred group formations and examined with the help of guided expert interviews. This in-depth survey will focus on housing issues with a pan-European dimension, e.g. the reform of owner-occupied and rental housing-related national housing policies in the aftermath of the financial crisis, or the implementation of EU sectoral policies in national housing policy.
Originally, it was planned that these tasks would be supported by three international workshops where the respective results will be discussed. In the first workshop in June 2019, the summarised results of the written survey were critically discussed and validated by the academic country experts. Due to restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the second workshop had to be cancelled and replaced by a written feedback procedure with the academic country experts and the national Housing Focal Points. Additionally, the project was accompanied by an international advisory board consisting of researchers from across Europe with longstanding experience and expert knowledge in housing research.

Project Flow Chart: Housing Policies in the European Union Source: Institut Wohnen und Umwelt GmbH

Research questions

• What forms of organisation exist in terms of political responsibilities and levels of governance? Which actors are relevant for policy formulation and implementation?
• Which sub-segments, target groups and provider structures shape housing markets and policies in the EU Member States?
• Which policy instruments exist and what importance do they have for housing provision?
• What does the housing provision in the individual EU Member States look like and what are the relevant problems?
• Are there reform approaches and trends of instrumental change in the individual EU Member States?
• Do convergent and divergent housing policy developments exist between the EU Member States?
• Which role does the European Union play in national housing policy?