Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides examples of housing problems and attempts to deal with them and the countries are UK, USA, Australia, China, Sweden and Argentina. It describes that the neoliberal ideology when applied to housing is fundamentally flawed in a number of respects. Any conception of a universal, ideal housing policy is based on a set of political ideologies grounded in moral and ethical principles. The book aims to lay out these principles for inspection and to examine their resultant impacts when implemented into housing regimes. It focuses on the relationship between the state and the market. The book provides a framework for policy-makers and commentators to be able to analyse policy mechanisms in a particular country. It also provides a context of the experience and impacts in other countries that can serve as examples of possible scenarios.