Housing Policy and the Discourse of Globalization

ABSTRACT

In this paper it is argued that the discourse of globalization has dominated housing policy in Britain in the last decade. This proposition is supported by a description of recent housing policy concerns and a tracing of their roots in the globalization discourse. It is argued that the housing policy response to globalization has mirrored the neo-liberal assumptions of the discourse itself. This paper then questions whether there is a viable alternative to the neo-liberal approach of recent housing policy. It is argued that the traditional social democratic approach is ill-suited to the environment created by globalization. However, the paper concludes with an outline of an alternative policy approach which focuses on key issues which globalization brings to the fore, such as risk, social solidarity, and the pursuit of control and self-esteem. It is argued that, taken together, these issues could constitute a new policy model.

KEY WORDS:

• Housing policy
• globalization