Exception as a government strategy: contemporary Chile’s housing policy

Abstract

The adverse effects of Chile’s neoliberal social housing policy have been evident for years. The housing deficit, amount of informal housing and pressure from citizen groups have increased in recent years. Numerous stop-gap strategies have been devised in order to contain its adverse effects, many of which can be classified as “exceptional” policy responses, as opposed to “standard” policy responses. Such strategies may include tailormade rights and arbitrary flexibility, the results of which are radically different from those of the “standard” policy. Our hypothesis is that exception is a government strategy to face the deficiencies and conflicts that the policy brings about. A qualitative study was carried out to study the origins, characteristic and repercussions of exception. The results showed four dimensions of this government strategy. First, the application of exception amid the occurrence of environmental emergencies. Second, the use of exception for economic and political purposes and interests. Third, when inhabitants demand exceptional measures. Fourth, when exceptional targeting mechanisms are created to deal with a population whose characteristics are so particular that they are beyond the sphere of political action. It is concluded that exceptions become the norm in a context of neoliberal governance of social housing policy.

Keywords:

• Exceptionality
• neoliberal housing policy
• housing crisis
• Chile

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Ahorro, Bono and Crédito hipotecario in Spanish.

2 The term “allegado” translates literally as “close” or “near” and refers to a person who lives in a house that is not his but is not a renter. Such individuals usually live in family houses. This doubling-up has two categories: when one or more members of a family live in the home of other members of the family and share all spaces; and when a family group (a household) lives in the house or on the land of their family, but does not share all spaces. In these cases, homes are expanded or new homes are built in the gardens of the houses.

3 Entidades de Gestión Inmobiliaria y Social (EGIS) and Entidades Patrocinantes (EP).

4 Social housing production is calculated through subsidies paid by the state.

5 This figure is calculated based on subsidies provided by the state to so-called “vulnerable sectors”. Households residing in informal settlements are in this category.

6 Operation Housing Site.

7 Established by Supreme Decree 49 that regulates the Solidary Housing Fund

8 In 2010 the catalogue “Quality urban housing and integration policy: good practices to share” was published. In 2016 “Urban and housing works appropriate to indigenous culture” was published.

9 Biobío Region reconstruction plan official. Interview conducted in May 2019 by the author.8. SERVIU is the institution in charge of applying the social housing policy. There is a SERVIU in each region that is administratively dependent on MINVU.9. Valparaíso Region SERVIU official. Interview conducted in November 2017 by the author.

10 Leader of Borgoño de Concón complex inhabitants. Interview conducted in January 2018 by the author.

11 Inhabitant of Las Condes. Interview conducted in January 2018 by the author.

12 Leader of UKAMAU poblador movement. Interview conducted in November 2017 by the author.

13 The Unión Comunal de Allegados is an organisation that brings together committees of doubled-up individuals of the municipality. A committee of doubled-up individuals or housing committee is an organisation that makes collective applications to build new housing using the combined subsidies of its members.

14 Leader of the inhabitants of the Pacífico Rivas II complex in San Joaquín. Interview conducted in October 2017 by the author.

15 A large business dedicated to property development and construction. It has focused on building large infrastructure works such as motorways, ports, airports, universities and residential developments, among others.

16 Main ethnic group of the country.

17 Field notes, September 2017.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Agency for Research and Development (ANID).