PROactive Policy-making for Equal Lives

How do governments balance the political pressures of rising inequality,
increasingly strained budgets, and cross-generational inequities? More
specifically, how do housing policies and housing markets contribute to
inequality within and across countries? This project considers links between
government policy, housing markets, and inequality by examining current
generations’ challenges in Luxembourg and other high-income OECD
countries.

Housing affects life chances by shaping people’s wealth accumulation,
personal safety, social networks, educational and job opportunities, and
even the ease with which they can start a family. Scholars often assume
unequal access to housing and housing finance are inherent to a capitalist
economy. In that paradigm, governments can only try to mitigate market-derived
inequalities. If explicit government policy contributes to these
housing inequalities, however, the response shifts to lessening policy-derived
inequalities. Understanding the magnitude of each force helps us
evaluate the government’s role in generating social rights and shaping life
chances.