TY - JOUR
T1 - Perpetuating the problem: neoliberalism, commonwealth public policy and housing affordability in Australia
T2 - Neoliberalism, commonwealth public policy and housing affordability in Australia: Neoliberalism
AU - Nicholls, Seth
PY - 2014/10
Y1 - 2014/10
N2 - This paper argues that the scale of the contemporary housing affordability crisis in Australia is at least partly attributable to the influence of neoliberal ideas over the past three decades. After providing an overview of the nature and scope of the crisis, the process by which housing as a policy problem has been reconceptualised by policy makers and others since the 1970s is examined. This is followed by analysis of the ways in which a number of commonwealth government policies which are ideationally underpinned by neoliberalism have amplified and perpetuated the problem of housing affordability in Australia and, ipso facto, prevented the issue from being addressed. The paper concludes by suggesting that policies which are ostensibly intended to improve housing affordability will continue to founder until the ideational obstacles which are the focus of this paper are recognised, and housing policy is reconceptualised along lines more conducive to the amelioration of the housing affordability problem. The paper seeks to extend the existing literature on housing affordability by explicitly identifying the linkages between neoliberal ideas, commonwealth public policy, and the extant problem of housing affordability in Australia.
AB - This paper argues that the scale of the contemporary housing affordability crisis in Australia is at least partly attributable to the influence of neoliberal ideas over the past three decades. After providing an overview of the nature and scope of the crisis, the process by which housing as a policy problem has been reconceptualised by policy makers and others since the 1970s is examined. This is followed by analysis of the ways in which a number of commonwealth government policies which are ideationally underpinned by neoliberalism have amplified and perpetuated the problem of housing affordability in Australia and, ipso facto, prevented the issue from being addressed. The paper concludes by suggesting that policies which are ostensibly intended to improve housing affordability will continue to founder until the ideational obstacles which are the focus of this paper are recognised, and housing policy is reconceptualised along lines more conducive to the amelioration of the housing affordability problem. The paper seeks to extend the existing literature on housing affordability by explicitly identifying the linkages between neoliberal ideas, commonwealth public policy, and the extant problem of housing affordability in Australia.
KW - economic policy
KW - housing affordability
KW - neoliberalism
KW - policy
KW - social policy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84955206234&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/j.1839-4655.2014.tb00316.x
DO - 10.1002/j.1839-4655.2014.tb00316.x
M3 - Article
VL - 49
SP - 329
EP - 347
JO - Australian Journal of Social Issues
JF - Australian Journal of Social Issues
SN - 0157-6321
IS - 3
ER -