DIY Housing Studies

ABSTRACT

In response to Javier Moreno Zacarés’ paper, I argue for a more empirically engaged and policy-relevant political economy of housing. This is necessary given the global transformation of housing from a home into an asset. Understanding housing’s place in the contemporary financialized economy requires scholars to adopt a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach to studying housing. Such a perspective starts by recognizing the neoclassical economic theories that limit much of housing studies while recalling the rich tradition of housing in political economy. Between these two poles, I encourage operationalizing a framework that (i) treats single-family and multifamily housing as two different residential markets and (ii) focuses on each market’s logics, dynamics, and points of intersection. Integrating grounded empirics into political economic perspectives is essential for housing research and policy agendas in the 21st century.

KEYWORDS:

• Financialization
• homeowners
• renters
• four-quadrant
• assetization

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).