Critical Realism and Housing Research

Lawson, Julie

doi:10.4324/9780203770368

Cited by 21 publications

(35 citation statements)

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“…As Steven Lukes (2005) makes clear in the new edition of his classic analysis: 'Power is a capacity not the exercise of that capacity (it may never be, and never need to be, exercised)' (p. 12). Arguing from a similar 'realist' ontological perspective, Lawson (2006) postulates that the 'real' housing realm comprises not only 'actual' events, such as evictions, but also objects and relationships which have 'emergent powers' which may or may not be activated under different contingent circumstances, but are nonetheless 'real, powerful and can have actual effects' (p. 263).…”

Section: Conceptualising the Role And Significance Of Security Of Tenurementioning

confidence: 98%

Ending Security of Tenure for Social Renters: Transitioning to ‘Ambulance Service’ Social Housing?

2013

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Drawing on international comparative research, this paper examines recent policy moves to withdraw security of tenure in social housing in England and Australia. We contend that there are theoretical and empirical grounds for believing that tenure security is crucial both to social housing tenants themselves and to conceptualisations of the sector. Starting from this premise we analyse the underlying rationale(s) for phasing out open-ended social tenancies. First, we consider the 'welfare dependency' argument and the claim that 'conditionality' mechanisms will incentivise social renters to (re)engage with the labour market. Second, we interrogate the, arguably more influential, rationale which stresses equity considerations in ensuring that scarce social housing resources are targeted to those in greatest need. We conclude by reflecting on the implementation prospects for this high-level policy reform, arguing that individual social landlords' motivations will be crucial in shaping the practical impacts of the new regime.

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Section: Conceptualising the Role And Significance Of Security Of Tenurementioning

confidence: 98%

Ending Security of Tenure for Social Renters: Transitioning to ‘Ambulance Service’ Social Housing?

2013

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“…Given the attention in cognate areas such as geography, sociology and economics, witnessed by the flourishing of refereed international journals such as Feminist Theory , Feminist Economics and Gender, Place and Culture , this is a surprising gap. Tony Travers (2004:28) notes the value of such debates as a way to "… encourage greater reflexivity and analytical rigour … and force us to think more clearly about how we design and conduct empirical research …" Julie Lawson (2006) makes a similar argument that I endorse.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…I do not to denigrate the work that has been done and published in issues of Housing, Theory and Society or seen in the work of Julie Lawson (2006) or Jacobs, Kemeny & Manzi (2004) inter alia . But acknowledgement of epistemological positions and alternatives, never mind debating them, seems relatively rare in the broader housing studies literature.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Feminist Epistemologies and the Social Relations of Housing Provision

Satsangi

2011

Housing, Theory and Society

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Is research that uses the concept of the social relations of housing provision implicitly centred on men and neglectful of women? In this paper, I look at why this might be the case because of the principles by which the social relations of provision are defined. I look at androcentric bias, referring to principles drawn from feminist epistemologies, and make particular use of some recent work in rural geography and sociology. I then look for evidence of androcentrism in my own work on the social relations of housing provision in rural Scotland. I find my work to have had no deliberate conscious focus on male experiences nor neglect of gendered relations and consider some epistemological and methodological implications of this judgement

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“…The use of dialectical thinking, so common to a Critical approach, whilst potentially illuminating is arguably over simplistic and rests upon a hidden teleology that cannot be assumed. As Lawson (2006) notes, 'Ideology and institutionalised social practices are important, but alone merely represent the locally mediated expression of underlying networks of social relations' (Lawson: 2006: p. 21). Moreover, as has been shown in relation to critical project studies, the focus of dialectic thinking on closed syntheses of binary oppositions has the potential to result in the unreflective generation of new concepts (Sage et al: 2009).…”

Section: Power History and Culture -An Inseparable Mixturementioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding construction reform discourses

Smiley

Fernie

Dainty

2014

Construction Management and Economics

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Attempts to drive change and reform of the UK construction industry have been an ongoing concern for numerous stakeholders, both in government and across industry, for years. The issue is a seemingly perennially topical one which shows little sign of abating.Scholarly analyses of the reform agenda have tended to adopt a Critical Theory perspective. Such an approach, however, lacks a certain nuance and perhaps only reveals one layer of social reality. What is arguably lacking is a more fundamental exposition concerning the historical, social and cultural explanatory forces at play. Whilst it is illuminating to expose vested interests, ideology and power, what has led to the development of various views? How have they come to achieve such high accord in discussions? Drawing on the works of Max Weber, Georg Simmel and Barbara Adam, this paper seeks to develop a broader theoretical lens. It considers the wider sociocultural structures and forces that influence behaviour, shape and constrain these views. This approach will contribute to a much needed broader philosophical and theoretical debate within the Construction Management community (and beyond) on the need to better engage with, and understand, the sources influencing the issue of policy formulation and diffusion.

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Critical Realism and Housing Research

Cited by 21 publications

References 0 publications

Ending Security of Tenure for Social Renters: Transitioning to ‘Ambulance Service’ Social Housing?

Ending Security of Tenure for Social Renters: Transitioning to ‘Ambulance Service’ Social Housing?

Feminist Epistemologies and the Social Relations of Housing Provision

Understanding construction reform discourses

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