Universal and Selective Housing Regimes as Broad and Narrow Policy Fields. A Conceptual Proposal and its Application to Sweden

A fundamental distinction in welfare state research is the one between universal and selective policies. Consequently, housing researchers often categorize national housing regimes under one of these headings. However, since housing is typically distributed via markets – although with state correcti...

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Main Authors: Bo Bengtsson, Martin Grander
Format: Article
Language:Norwegian
Published: Scandinavian University Press 2023-12-01
Series:Tidsskrift for boligforskning
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.idunn.no/doi/10.18261/tfb.6.2.3
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author Bo Bengtsson
Martin Grander
author_facet Bo Bengtsson
Martin Grander
author_sort Bo Bengtsson
collection DOAJ
description A fundamental distinction in welfare state research is the one between universal and selective policies. Consequently, housing researchers often categorize national housing regimes under one of these headings. However, since housing is typically distributed via markets – although with state correctives – and not directly by means of state distribution, the borderline between universal and selective housing policies is seldom clear-cut. This article proposes a framework that can be applied both to housing and other welfare sectors, based on the distinction between a broad and narrow policy field and applicable to institutions, discourses and outcomes on different political levels: national welfare regimes, sector regimes (like housing) and policy instruments. In the article, this framework is applied critically to the Swedish housing regime, which is often understood as being universal. Swedish housing policy and its central policy instruments are analysed in terms of universality and selectivity, together with the housing discourse and the social and economic outcome. The article also discusses how the development of recent years, for example, the increased commercialism of public housing, the spread of so-called social contracts and the recurring ideas about “social housing” can be understood in terms of universal and selective housing policy.
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spelling doaj-art-c44f809ed1ee4a7bb5efd0528cc65f302025-08-20T02:02:34ZnorScandinavian University PressTidsskrift for boligforskning2535-59882023-12-01629010510.18261/tfb.6.2.3Universal and Selective Housing Regimes as Broad and Narrow Policy Fields. A Conceptual Proposal and its Application to SwedenBo Bengtsson0Martin Grander1Institute for Housing and Urban Research (IBF), Uppsala UniversityDepartment of Urban Studies, Malmö UniversityA fundamental distinction in welfare state research is the one between universal and selective policies. Consequently, housing researchers often categorize national housing regimes under one of these headings. However, since housing is typically distributed via markets – although with state correctives – and not directly by means of state distribution, the borderline between universal and selective housing policies is seldom clear-cut. This article proposes a framework that can be applied both to housing and other welfare sectors, based on the distinction between a broad and narrow policy field and applicable to institutions, discourses and outcomes on different political levels: national welfare regimes, sector regimes (like housing) and policy instruments. In the article, this framework is applied critically to the Swedish housing regime, which is often understood as being universal. Swedish housing policy and its central policy instruments are analysed in terms of universality and selectivity, together with the housing discourse and the social and economic outcome. The article also discusses how the development of recent years, for example, the increased commercialism of public housing, the spread of so-called social contracts and the recurring ideas about “social housing” can be understood in terms of universal and selective housing policy.https://www.idunn.no/doi/10.18261/tfb.6.2.3housing regimepolicy fieldselectivityuniversalitySwedenboligregime
spellingShingle Bo Bengtsson
Martin Grander
Universal and Selective Housing Regimes as Broad and Narrow Policy Fields. A Conceptual Proposal and its Application to Sweden
Tidsskrift for boligforskning
housing regime
policy field
selectivity
universality
Sweden
boligregime
title Universal and Selective Housing Regimes as Broad and Narrow Policy Fields. A Conceptual Proposal and its Application to Sweden
title_full Universal and Selective Housing Regimes as Broad and Narrow Policy Fields. A Conceptual Proposal and its Application to Sweden
title_fullStr Universal and Selective Housing Regimes as Broad and Narrow Policy Fields. A Conceptual Proposal and its Application to Sweden
title_full_unstemmed Universal and Selective Housing Regimes as Broad and Narrow Policy Fields. A Conceptual Proposal and its Application to Sweden
title_short Universal and Selective Housing Regimes as Broad and Narrow Policy Fields. A Conceptual Proposal and its Application to Sweden
title_sort universal and selective housing regimes as broad and narrow policy fields a conceptual proposal and its application to sweden
topic housing regime
policy field
selectivity
universality
Sweden
boligregime
url https://www.idunn.no/doi/10.18261/tfb.6.2.3
work_keys_str_mv AT bobengtsson universalandselectivehousingregimesasbroadandnarrowpolicyfieldsaconceptualproposalanditsapplicationtosweden
AT martingrander universalandselectivehousingregimesasbroadandnarrowpolicyfieldsaconceptualproposalanditsapplicationtosweden