ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the significance of each aspect of inequality by conceptually separating the economic, political and cultural dimensions, as far as is possible, whilst also noting the extent to which they interact empirically. The distinction between home owners and private tenants provides the clearest example of the economic inequality constructed through housing tenure. Two fundamental points need to be made in relation to the work that has focused upon the construction of economic inequality through housing tenure. The chapter examines how and why private property rights differ between tenures and how the 'political' has been treated in analyses of housing tenure under the headings political activism, voting and political attitudes. The significance of housing tenure for local political activism is argued to be that home owners are more likely to be active than renters due to a need to defend their private property interests, with property values often seen as the key factor.
