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The housing tenure structure has long been associated with different forms of welfare state capitalism in Western Europe. However, with the rise of owner-occupancy, this association has not been so straightforward. An alternative view is to view housing policies that promote owner-occupancy for households to acquire assets, as an attempt by the state to reform social welfare systems. The politics of welfare reform are related to the discourses of homeownership ideology. The ownership of (housing) assets agenda serves as a means to change the relationship between state, market and individual households. This view is mostly based on the British experience and this paper seeks to broaden it by examining the Netherlands and Spain. The paper shows differences, but also that housing policies play an important role in driving towards or maintaining market-dominated solutions. Housing is used to either reorient towards or maintain a welfare system where asset ownership and market dependency is deemed more appropriate than secure income and public expenditure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In various countries we observe governments aiming to produce mixed income areas to reduce or prevent spatial segregation. This almost always implies a redifferentiation, or restructuring of the housing stock of low-income areas. This strategy has its advantages and disadvantages. Redifferentiation and restructuring are based on the idea that solutions to the problems of spatial segregation and concentration can be found in the housing stock. This is also the case in the Netherlands. Since 1997, the Dutch Government has advocated a housing policy promoting a restructuring of urban neighbourhoods by building more expensive dwellings in traditionally low-income areas in order to influence the income mix in these neighbourhoods, thereby implying that this is a positive and feasible development. This paper will focus on the goals of the undivided cities formulated by the Dutch Government and the arguments concerning the relation between segregation and restructuring of the urban housing stock. The paper will also examine the income mix and income segregation in Dutch urban areas itself. Is there any reason to aim at a larger spatial differentiation of income? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reforming the system of financial instruments on the housing market is a recurring issue. This paper constructs a model explaining household behaviour, in particular the effects of prices and income on the tenure choice and the level of housing consumption. It analyses the effects that may be expected of fundamental changes of financial policy instruments in the Netherlands: (1) a conversion of below market rents to market rent levels; (2) a switch from the current fiscal system for owner-occupiers to a general lump sum tax reduction; and (3) a combination of these measures. The results indicate that the initial disadvantageous effects on the housing costs are large, but the behavioural response of households and the expected changes of price levels considerably reduce or even eliminate longrun effects. Since the effects may be substantial for individual households, a well-considered transition path, as is done in other countries, should be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current housing finance systems are mostly a poor reflection of the government's policy priorities. This paper explains how the current Dutch housing finance system works, and analyses its weaknesses against the backdrop of a well-functioning housing market and national policy goals. It specifically looks at recent proposals and some building blocks for future housing finance reform in the Netherlands. The paper ends with conclusions on the potential relevance of the analysis for other European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amsterdam's housing market is dominated by the social-rented sector. It comprises 56 per cent of the total housing stock, while home ownership comprises only 19 per cent, lower than anywhere else in the Netherlands, and among the lowest in the world. Central government policy is currently seeking to increase the share of home ownership in the Netherlands from 53 per cent (2001) to 65 per cent in 2010. This paper will summarise recent national and local (Amsterdam) housing policy developments, focusing on the recent practice of selling social housing in Amsterdam. Unlike the Right to Buy scheme in Britain, the Netherlands employs an 'offer to buy' strategy. Sales, however, have been disappointing so far. Two factors were found to be crucial in this regard: (1) the sluggish change in 'policy mentality' and bureaucracy and (2) the high prices in the home ownership market. By way of conclusion, the paper reflects on the desirability of shifting the tenure structure from tenancy to ownership and on the risks that an (over-) emphasis on home ownership may bring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central issues of this paper can be summarised in two questions. To what extent does the Dutch rent subsidy programme keep rented housing affordable for low-income groups? What kind of government policy could ensure, to a reasonable extent, that low-income groups in the Netherlands have access to affordable housing, even when the economy is not functioning optimally? The paper reviews how the net housing expenses have developed in the Netherlands since the 1970s. It then discusses the Dutch Rent Subsidy Act of 1997 and looks at the impact of this scheme on the net rent ratio for households with low incomes. The fiscal arrangements for home owners are dealt with. The data are drawn from the Housing Demand Survey (WBO), the Social and Cultural Planning Bureau and the Ministries of Housing and Finance. The paper concludes that the introduction of a tenure-neutral public policy could make a robust contribution to the fight against poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Segregation is a central concept in both academic and policy debates on urban issues. It has been argued that the process of globalisation results in increased social polarisation and subsequently sharper spatial segregation. Indeed, many politicians express a fear of rising segregation, envisioning the emergence of 'ghettos' or as it is called in the Netherlands 'income neighbourhoods'. In order to prevent concentrations of poverty from forming, a new area-based policy was formulated which aimed to restructure the urban housing market at the neighbourhood level and mix low-quality with high-quality houses. Such a concern with social mix has become common in a number of developed countries. In this regard the analysis has a wide relevance. This paper explores these ideas both by discussing the theoretical framework underpinning the policy, and by examining empirical support for it. Since the policy of housing-quality mixing is still in the first phase of implementation, relevant longitudinal data is not yet available. As a consequence our evaluation addresses present poverty concentrations and housing stock (mix) characteristics in the city of Amsterdam. By comparing neighbourhoods that already have a 'mixed' housing stock to homogeneous neighbourhoods, it has been possible to see whether mixing really does correspond to significantly lower poverty rates. It turns out that the empirical facts are quite different from the expected results: mixing does not in fact reduce poverty. It is concluded that the policy lacks an empirical basis. Housing-mix policy requires substantial budgets, while the goal of reducing poverty cannot be reached. As an alternative, we suggest that poverty is a personal characteristic and that it is therefore preferable to approach poverty directly instead of hoping for the results of a dubious 'neighbourhood effect'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of housing policy has been largely ignored in the debate on social fragmentation in Western societies. Only in Great Britain has this aspect attained prominence on the research agenda. Investigations there have shown that the mode of housing provision mitigates the effects of social fragmentation. Research elsewhere might help to clarify how and why the housing market amplifies or diminishes these effects. The case of the Netherlands is particularly illuminating because of the drastic housing policy reforms made there in recent years, allowing for a before-and-after assessment. This paper traces the effects of policy - and its reforms - on the range of housing conditions. In addition to dealing with the country as a whole, it investigates the changes in cities because of the specific nature of the urban housing stock. The analysis of how the housing conditions of various population categories changed during the period leading up to and following the announcement of the housing reforms of 1989 constitutes the core of the paper. The results show that housing conditions were already changing in the direction of the new policy aims during the 1980s. This casts doubt on the autonomous contribution of housing policy to changing housing conditions. The paper ends with a discussion of the implications of these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public housing in the Netherlands is rapidly changing. While it used to be an example of how government intervention could successfully contribute to create descent housing for all, and while public housing was seen as the instrument to get rid of inhumane housing conditions, currently the sector is moving into another position. The sector is still large and of high quality, but its function is significantly changing. In this paper, a brief history of Dutch and Amsterdam public housing is presented, as well as an interpretation of the main forces behind its development. These descriptions are seen as essential ingredients for understanding the rise and current decline of the sector. An empirical analysis shows for whom the sector is functioning and what the directions of change are. The sector is not only declining but also residualising. Its position in the housing market is getting weaker, while the sector increasingly functions for lower-level socio-economic categories only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both Sweden and the Netherlands had housing systems that include broad models of municipal housing (Sweden) or social housing (Netherlands). These broad models, however, came under discussion due to the competition policy of the European Commission. Financial government support – state aid – for public or social housing is considered to create false competition with commercial landlords. The countries chose different ways out of this problem. The Netherlands choose to direct state aid to a specified target group and had to introduce income limits for dwellings owned by housing associations. Sweden instead chose to change the law regulating municipal housing companies and demands that these companies should act in a businesslike way' and with that aims to create a level playing field. This paper will describe why the two countries chose different options, the development during the first years, and also speculate about the consequences on the longer run and the future role of the public/social housing sector in housing and urban policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Area-based urban restructuring policy can be considered an important measure in combating residential segregation. The demolition of the social-rented sector is a crucial element of area-based restructuring policy in the Netherlands. As a consequence, many residents, most of whom have a low income, are forced to move to another dwelling. By means of an analysis of the dispersal pattern of displaced households in the Dutch cities of The Hague, Utrecht and Leiden, this paper gives insight into the effect of urban restructuring on segregation. The main conclusion is that displaced households do not concentrate in a small number of neighbourhoods, but follow a dispersed pattern. However, displacees seem to have a tendency to move to neighbourhoods with a high percentage of non-Western minorities and a large proportion of social-rented dwellings. This tendency indicates that concentrations might become apparent in neighbourhoods that match these characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much research in neighbour relations is inspired by two research questions. First, it is necessary to know to which degree social contacts are local and in particular whether local social contacts in disadvantaged neighbourhoods bear an instrumental disadvantage. Second, it is necessary to know whether policies aiming at mixing people from different social and ethnic backgrounds result in more diverse networks and therefore in better opportunities for low-income residents. To address these questions, this paper compares the role of local relationships and the social resources they provide in a low-income neighbourhood and a socio-economic mixed neighbourhood in the Netherlands. Contrary to assumptions in the research literature, residents in the low-income neighbourhood do not differ from their counterparts in the mixed neighbourhood in the degree to which they receive social support for dealing with everyday problems. However, networks of low-income residents provided fewer resources in terms of accessed prestige. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution explores the relationship between housing policy, which is the responsibility of national governments, and competition policy, including the decision on the legitimacy of state support, which is the responsibility of the European Commission (EC). The paper paints a general picture of EU policy on competition and state support and describes the Dutch social housing system. Attention then turns to the recent intervention by the European Commission in the governance of Dutch social housing and it is asked whether the factors that prompted the intervention exist in other EU member states as well. The analysis shows that this is indeed the case. It is concluded that the intervention of the EC in the Netherlands could become a precedent for other European countries, particularly for those countries that opt against a residualised social rented sector and for a competitive role of social housing providers on the housing market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines income-related housing support in Britain and the Netherlands. It considers the main issues that are at stake in current policy discussions, compares the arguments that are put forward in the two countries and draw conclusions about the future of income-related housing support. In both Britain and the Netherlands political discussions about the possible introduction of housing vouchers are observed. The most complicated issues are the poverty trap and unemployment trap, and housing consumption incentives. Moral hazard concerns can result in complicated anti-fraud measures that may add to the burden of administering income-related support. It is expected that the way in which income-related housing support schemes in both countries are designed and administered may come under closer scrutiny. Politicians want these schemes to be in tune with the need for labour and housing market mobility, wage flexibility, and the need to bring the public budget under control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Netherlands, social housing accounts for 37 per cent of the total stock, and as much as 75 per cent of the total rented stock. For observers from outside the Netherlands this seems an anachronism. The dominant institution within the Dutch social rented sector is the housing association: a private organisation, functioning within the public framework of the Housing Act. This paper puts forward an explanation of why the Netherlands' social housing sector is so large. An overview is provided of the social housing institutions at sector level, their effectiveness is evaluated, and questions on the efficiency of the housing associations are posed. Several variants for the future status of housing associations are assessed and the political choice made in 2000 by the Netherlands government is elucidated. Finally, there is a discussion about the recent proposals encouraging housing associations to opt out of the public system and some recommendations are formulated for the Dutch social housing sector. It is possible that these could provide a source of inspiration for housing politicians elsewhere in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1990s a large majority of the social rented sector managers in the Netherlands shifted towards an advert model of allocation in place of a waiting list system. This paper focuses on the consumer's response to this new letting mechanism. Three case studies were conducted, geared to evaluate consumers' appreciation and understanding of the advert model. Various additional local, regional or national evaluations are used to put the findings from the case studies in perspective. Generally, the public appreciates the advert model more than the distribution system. However, insufficient understanding of the complex do-it-yourself allocation system affects appreciation of the system and access to vacancies both negatively. On average, people on low income and ethnic minority members (overlapping groups) were more prone to lack of understanding and were less successful applicants as a result. Moreover, the allocation mechanism has not changed differences in resources and bargaining power and its effects on the outcome of the allocation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution gives some reflections on the Netherlands' New Housing Memorandum 2000-2010, which was published on 15 May 2000. This Housing Memorandum urges the housing corporations (the social housing organisations which own 37 per cent of the housing stock) to sell 500 000 dwellings in 10 years. This seems to confirm Harloe's assertion that social housing in Europe is only a transitional tenure. Even in the Netherlands-champion of social rented housing within the European Union-the owner occupied sector would seem destined to marginalise the social rented sector in the long run. This paper argues that the housing corporations, being private, independent social entrepreneurs, will be only partially inclined to take the political message of the Housing Memorandum to heart. It is expected that the Dutch social rented sector will remain a differentiated sector and continue to blossom alongside home ownership. Harloe's theory will, in short, not be confirmed by the housing developments in the Netherlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract For decades, housing associations in the Netherlands were the country's landlords of social rented housing par excellence. Presently housing associations own and administer over 90 per cent of the social rented stock, which now comprises 37 per cent of the total Dutch housing stock. The changes in Dutch housing policy which were made from 1993 onwards, have also changed the role and position of the housing associations. The financial ties binding the social housing sector and the national government have largely been dissolved. Responsibility for adequate housing was decentralised from the central government to the local authorities. Municipalities and housing associations have developed a new tradition of performance agreements on local housing policy. This paper reviews the response of housing associations to the circumstances created by the new housing policy of the 1990s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that insecure leases impact negatively on ontological security and subjective well-being, and given increasing pressure on European housing markets, more insight into insecure leases is timely. In this article, we assess the occurrence of temporary leases in the city of Amsterdam in 2015, and explore the characteristics of the tenants. We employ hitherto underused local survey data (N = 17,803). Although permanent contracts are still dominant, the majority of young adults aged 18–23 are renters with a temporary lease. Students, those with a Western migration background, those who moved because their previous rental contract was terminated or because the previous dwelling was too expensive, and those who moved from abroad were particularly likely to have a temporary lease. Families were unlikely to have a temporary lease. Given recent developments – in 2016 temporary leases were legally established as a regular tenure in the Netherlands – the number of temporary leases may increase sharply from the reported baseline of 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the author discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the contradictory discourse and narratives surrounding social housing intervention in France, the public housing system in the Netherlands, and the changing dynamics of housing policy and system in Singapore.

Abstract Since the early 1980s many Western governments have been faced with the challenge of dismantling their unwieldy social policy systems. In the Netherlands, housing policies were one of the first fields to undergo the shift from the previous patterns of direct 'governmental' intervention to the new regimes of 'governance'. The social and political aspirations of housing policy were not put aside however. Instead, they are now being pursued by establishing rules which determine the relations between social and governmental actors in another way (the new regime of 'order' rules). The author analyses the emergence of the rules of the new regime and discusses some of the institutional and distributive implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on study about the public policies in the Netherlands which are designed to prevent spatial segregation and discusses policy ambitions and their possible impacts in a critical way. Overview on the housing policy in the Netherlands; Characteristics of the housing stock in the cities in Netherlands; Differences between the central city and its surrounding region.

Discusses the implementation of new allocation system for social rented dwellings in Netherlands. Social housing of the country; Changes in the allocation system; Consumers and local authorities' perspective on the allocation system.