Interpreting Housing Allowance: The Norwegian Case

Abstract

Housing allowances are part of both the housing policy and the general welfare policy. In order to understand fully how the housing allowances affect welfare and well-being one need to use multiple approaches. We propose to complement traditional analyses of marginal effects and short run incentives with long-run perspectives taken from the new social investment literature and elements of self-esteem and fairness taken from the literature on universalism. A neo-liberal approach where analysts limit themselves to studies of marginal effects and short-run incentives both in the housing and in the labour market runs the risk of neglecting important aspects of the effects of housing allowances. Therefore, this may lead to retrenchment. The approach we propose is illustrated through a closer analysis of important elements of the housing allowance system in Norway as it is today, and the development of the system over time.

Forskningen på boligsosiale virkemidler rettet mot vanskeligstilte på boligmarkedet i Norge 2005–2018

“…Virkemiddelet skal bidra til at lavinntektsgrupper får en høyere boligstandard enn de ellers ville skaffet seg på egen hånd. De siste ti årene har imidlertid virkemiddelets boligpolitiske funksjon stundom havnet i skyggen av dets rolle i kampen mot fattigdom (Nordvik & Sørvoll, 2014). Startlånet er et virkemiddel som skal hjelpe personer med å etablere seg i egen eid bolig ved hjelp av full-eller toppfinansiering.…”

En egen boligpolitikk for eldre? En normativ analyse

“…Den hypotetiske mekanismen er at en god og trygg boligsituasjon kan vaere et fundament som deltakelse på andre arenaer kan bygges på. Det finnes en del empirisk litteratur som støtter en slik hypotese (Harkness & Newman, 2006;Newman, Holupka, & Harkness, 2009;Nordvik & Sørvoll, 2014). I en generell diskusjon av boligpolitikk er denne såkalte nye sosial investeringstilnaermingen viktig.…”

Bring it Back in

“…that there was no need for general housing subsidies anymore because there was no longer a general shortage of housing. The remaining major policy issue was the distribution of housing, which would be taken care of by income related support (Nordvik and Sørvoll 2014); the government was also to correct for market imperfections.…”