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AbstractThe private rented sector (PRS) plays an increasingly important role in accommodating young people and migrants in China’s metropolitan cities. However, the PRS in China is still underdeveloped, as evidenced by, e.g. a low degree of professionalisation, lack of basic rental laws and regulations, and poor housing experiences of tenants. The purpose of the current article is to identify the main challenges towards a well-functioning PRS, as perceived by Chinese local governments, landlords, and tenants, and to propose possible solutions to cope with these challenges. After reviewing both academic and grey literature and exploring the results of our previous research, we found that these challenges result from three main root causes, i.e. power imbalance between landlords and tenants, inadequate institutional arrangements, and path dependence on the past productivism model. Based on the analysis, a number of recommendations were proposed, including formalising the PRS, introducing regulations, setting minimum housing standards, and increasing public school availability to enhance equal citizenship rights between renters and homeowners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2010, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive announced that all new buildings are to be nearly zero-energy as of January 2021. Having reached year 2022, it can be said that the transition has proven to be slower than anticipated. Transition research has long acknowledged the potential impact of the human factor in the process of change. While there is a relative wealth of literature on end-users and their perceptions as recipients of change within the demand end of the market, research on professionals and their perceptions as actors in the process of change is limited. Thus, this study looks at the human factor in the supply end of the market by bringing professionals' perceptions to the forefront in its investigation of barriers to the implementation and uptake of nearly zero-energy housing in practice. As part of the project entitled Housing 4.0 Energy: Affordable and Sustainable Housing through Digitization, data were collected through a focus group and semi-structured interviews with housing professionals in Kilkenny, Ireland. Descriptive coding, inferential coding, and fact tracing revealed several identified barriers to be perceptions and not actual barriers to nearly zero-energy housing. Additionally, information dissemination and assimilation between policy and industry was identified as an overarching barrier. Therefore, the paper ends with recommendations to reduce delay factors at the supply end of the market, thus contributing to closing the gap between the development of policies and their implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature and dimension of non-compliance (defiance) with lease agreement obligations in private rental housing market between managers (agents/private rental housing providers or landlords) and end-users (tenants – rental housing consumers), with a view to identifying challenges in rental housing lease administration in Nigeria emerging rental market. Design/methodology/approach – The quantitative data collected from practicing estate surveyor and valuers (statutorily registered agents), who manage private rental housing in their portfolios on behalf of owners and tenants, who occupy rental housing within Lagos state (the largest property market in Nigeria and West Africa). Using a theoretical model in the context of five lease agreement obligations, data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (one sample t-test, independent t-test and correlation). Findings – While economic circumstances (economic factors) are considered the major vulnerable factor that cause acts of non-compliance, defiance against “covenant not- to- sublet (subletting covenant (SC))” and “prompt rental payment covenant” are the two most non-compliance attitudes (precipitation events) observed from both actors. There is correlation among all vulnerability elements and precipitating events. While a significant relationship was only observed between “SC” and all vulnerability elements on the part of agents, there is significant relationship among all the vulnerability elements and precipitating events on the part of tenants. Also, while tenants attached higher significance to all the vulnerability factors than managers, both actors attached different level of priority to precipitating events. Lastly, equitable remedies and peaceful entry are the two most adopted intervention tools. Research limitations/implications – This paper is limited to seeking both the professional opinion of licensed/registered agents and the rental housing consumers-tenants. Practical implications – The research points to an increasing need for the stakeholders – Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (a Government parastatal) and the Nigerian Institutions of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (the constituted professional body), to establish and reform the code of practice in this direction with due consideration to the factors identified in this study. Effort also should be upgraded in the intervention techniques adopted in order to improve on emerging rental market. Originality/value – The paper explores an important aspect of lease administration in private rental housing market. It also provides platform on which the acts of defiance can be wiped out in the emerging rental market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to make a contribution to the debate about the meaning of competition as applied to social housing and the usefulness of a competitive paradigm as a comparative analytical tool. Social housing providers have been asked to become more competitive and more market orientated in Europe. But what exactly do these terms mean and what are the defining features of competitiveness? And how can concepts of competition be applied to social housing, given that social housing is not allocated by price and market demand? Starting in mainstream economic analysis the meaning of competition and governments' roles in relation to competition are examined. The paper then applies key features of competition to social housing in order to explore the meaning of competition within social housing and between social housing and market housing. It then considers competition as a framework for examining the performance of social housing systems and the relationships between social and market rental housing. The possible implications of (more) competition within social housing and between social housing and market housing are discussed. Finally, the paper suggests that the competitive paradigm can be useful in comparative analysis because it can potentially supply a graded taxonomy that identifies and compares degrees of competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will set out the concept of a 'gap' between the social rented and market rented housing sector. This will be examined with respect to one aspect of competition between the two sectors in England, France, the Netherlands and Germany: substitutability. The analysis will involve an examination of the extent to which tenants can choose between the two sectors. The price-quality bundles of housing services as expressed by the characteristics of the accommodation, the property rights of the tenants, the allocation system and the housing allowances in the different countries will be compared. Competition measured in this way seems to be rather larger than smaller in the Netherlands and Germany and rather small in England. France's intermediate sector partly closes the gap between both rental tenures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an attempt to promote efficiency and consumer choice, many governments in Europe have in recent years required social housing organisations to be more market-orientated and competitive. Competition, however, is being discussed and implemented without any detailed examination of what is meant by the term 'competition' outside a conventional 'market', as is the case in social housing. It is not clear what exactly is meant by competition and this paper therefore focuses on the question of how competition can be operationalised and how it can be measured in practice. This paper concentrates on social housing in England and the Netherlands: two countries where competition in social housing is an issue. These two countries also have different social housing models. For both countries, we build on an evaluative framework based on the economic concepts of rivalry, risk and choice and then analyse the data to establish whether competition can be measured in a convincing way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the application of the concept of competition to social housing in Europe. A distinction is made between competition amongst social housing suppliers and between social housing organisations and commercial suppliers of housing. The competitiveness of social housing is examined using evidence mainly from England and the Netherlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social rental housing has once again captured a strong position on the Dutch political agenda. This has happened especially since the European Commission sent a letter to the Dutch government indicating that the Dutch social rental sector was not considered EU-proof from the viewpoint of the European Union's competition policy. The letter coincided with criticisms from Dutch politicians that housing associations had not been performing well enough for some time, given their abundant resources. However, in an international context, the Dutch social rental sector is often regarded as a good system for providing affordable housing to those who need it, without the sector being marginalized and stigmatized. Jim Kemeny has classified this market as one in which the social rental sector in due course competes with the private rental sector on equal or almost equal terms as a unitary rental market. The starting point of this paper is whether the achievement of a unitary rental sector is threatened by the EU's competition policy. It will also discuss two other possible threats to the future of the Dutch unitary rental market: the threat to take surplus capital away from housing associations and have government decide on what to invest; and the attractiveness of home-ownership to households. We conclude that the character of the Dutch unitary rental sector is indeed under threat, although mostly by stealth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the relationship between reduction in pension provision and growth in homeownership. Factors that create the differences between the homeownership rates in various countries; Causality link between homeownership rate and the scope of retirement provision; Effect of spending cuts and changing views with regard to the functioning of the welfare state on public housing policy in majority of western countries.

After more than ten years since the introduction of Near Zero-Energy Buildings (NZEBs), the transition towards a zero-energy new built environment can still be considered slow despite European Member States' various efforts to facilitate, promote and accelerate their implementation and uptake. The barriers to sustainability measures in general and NZEBs in particular have been extensively explored by academic literature and despite different research scopes, perspectives, locations and times, previous studies have reached similar outcomes. Similar barriers were perceived by different housing professionals in different geographic contexts and these same barriers also persisted through time. This study argues that while this could be interpreted as a validation of outcomes, it also underlines a limitation resulting from a general level of analysis. Thus, this study contributes to the discussion by adopting a context-specific approach in its investigation of barriers to near zero-energy housing in small towns in Flanders, Ireland and the Netherlands. The data was collected from a series of focus groups with housing professionals in Leuven, Kilkenny and Almere. Through descriptive coding, this study's outcomes echoed previous research findings. However, a closer look through inferential coding resulted in the identification of 21 new contextual barriers leading to the formulation of more specific policy suggestions with a different allocation of precedence that depends on every context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The population density in megacities in China gives rise to challenges, such as traffic congestion and soaring housing prices. A trend of leaving primate cities can be observed as well as a population increase in secondary cities. These trends might point to an urbanisation transition from the primate city stage to the secondary city stage. Research is needed to determine at which stage of urbanisation China currently resides, and who are migrating across the different levels of cities in this stage. In order to answer these questions, the current study combines the theory of differential urbanisation and migrant selectivity, and analyses city-level migration patterns and demographic characteristics of migrants across the urban hierarchy. The findings indicate that China is currently in the intermediate primate city stage, where the upward migration across the urban hierarchy is driven by younger adults with higher education and income, and a lower likelihood of marriage or parenthood. Building upon global evidence, this research further extends the theory of differential urbanisation by incorporating migrant selectivity into the interpretation of urbanisation stages. It reveals that educated migrants tend to concentrate and move up the urban hierarchy in the primate city stage but might deconcentrate during the secondary and small city stages. This study offers practical insights for policymakers at the national and city levels to develop population growth plans, adjust targeted migration policies and respond to future urbanisation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the independence of the social housing sector in Western European countries. Reductions in government subsidies for the housing sectors; Risks of policy independence; Financial and social aspects of housing management in social rented sector.

Focuses on the private rental sector in the housing market in West European countries in the period after the Second World War. Characterization of the private rental sector; Developments of housing systems after the Second World War; Similarities in developments; Decline of the private rental sector.

The management of the public rental sector has undergone tremendous change worldwide. Especially in China, given the large supply of public rental housing (PRH) in the short term, the management of PRH (PRHM) has been faced with a series of problems. The existing PRHM is unsustainable and a new scheme has been proposed. In this study we analyze whether this new scheme can solve the former management problems and achieve the reform objectives, so as to explore whether the new scheme can really improve the PRHM. We analyzed the new policy, contracts and bidding documents of 19 pilot projects and interviewed some implementation staffs. We found that the well-intended policy mainly proposed three measures: government procurement, new financial arrangement and guided service contents; but that these measures lack specific financial support. Furthermore, there are very few projects that involve full implementation; most of the projects employed a compromise strategy. In general, the new scheme made progress towards solving some of the existing problems, so even if it is selectively implemented, it is still likely to achieve the reform objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Square-planar cobalt diimine pyridine complexes LCoR (L=2,6-[RN＝CME]2C5H3N; R= n-C6H13 for Lhex, 2,6-(i-Pr)2C6H3 for Ldip) are active in the hydrogenation of monosubstituted and disubstituted olefins; sterically more hindered trisubstituted olefins do not react. For the LdipCoR system, a diamagnetic hydride intermediate was observed, although a small amount of paramagnetic product is also formed upon reaction of LdipCoR with H2. DFT studies suggest a traditional hydrogenation cycle starting with LCoH, except that intermediate LCo(R)(H2) transfers a hydrogen atom directly from H2 to the alkyl group in a σ-bond metathesis step, without going through a discrete CoIII intermediate. Autoclave experiments show that conversion is not linear in catalyst intake. Diffusion limitation was ruled out as an explanation, and we propose a concentration-dependent catalyst decay. At low catalyst intake conversion rates up to 2×104 (mol octene/mol Co/bar/h) can be reached. Reducing the steric bulk at the imine positions (Ldip →Lhex), or changing the metal from cobalt to rhodium, do not alter the activity or specificity of the hydrogenation much. For the LhexCo and LdipRh systems, no diamagnetic products corresponding to LdipCoH were observed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]