Public Housing An Economic Evaluation

The author applies the methodology to the system prevailing in Morocco in 1995 and 2004. The analysis shows that the most visible subsidies might not have been the most inefficient, nor the most resource consuming for the state. Examination of policy changes since 1995 shows that while the most visible subsidies received nearly all the government's attention, large invisible subsidies remain at the heart of Morocco's housing policy. The framework used here is very general and can be used to compare the Moroccan system with those of similar countries"--Abstract.

This book is a timely assessment of 20 years of progress in the field of housing economics and its application to policy and practice. Two decades on from the publication of Duncan Maclennan's influential Housing Economics, 16 leading housing experts - both academics and policy makers from across the world - now honour Maclennan's contributions. The chapters here present a contemporary survey of key issues in housing, from urban housing markets and sub-market modelling, to the economics of social housing, the basis for housing planning, economic analysis of neighbourhoods, and the connections between academic work and policy development. For students, researchers and practitioners in housing, urban economics and social policy, Housing Economics and Public Policy: . provides up to date and comprehensive reviews of major areas of the housing economics literature . sheds light on the economic, social and spatial processes that affect housing . includes discussion of major areas of cutting edge housing economics research and identifies continuing gaps . presents a synthesis of housing economics research on both sides of the Atlantic . assesses the impact of theory on policy and practice

Housing Economics provides information pertinent to the fundamental aspects of housing economics. This book discusses the economic theory of how households make housing choices, how suppliers make decisions, and how changes in exogenous variables alter the market outcome. Organized into 10 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the nature of housing economics and explains why the standard microeconomic models need to be modified. This text then examines the demand side of the housing market. Other chapters provide an economic analysis of the supply side of the housing market. This book discusses as well the housing market models as they arise in a more macroeconomic context. The final chapter deals with the effects of different housing programs on consumers, producers, and the market equilibrium. This book is a valuable resource for undergraduate students of economics. Planners, urban geographers, policy analysts, and civil servants will also find this book useful.

Most countries do not use one single type of housing subsidy but combine many of them. The author provides operational criteria that allow evaluation of systems of housing subsidies, both at the individual program level and at the aggregate (country) level. The author examines the public finance assessment criteria used by different authors to analyze subsidy programs and confront them systematically. The author ends up with a map of criteria, which covers the range of topics interesting to policymakers. For each criterion, the author tries to provide empirical measures that can be retrieved from existing programs. The author then provides an aggregation method allowing a synthesis of diagnoses about the quality of the housing subsidies system at the country level. The aggregation technique offers a simple way to visualize the main features of a subsidy system, as well as the effects on the system of reforms or improvements of particular programs. The author applies the methodology to the system prevailing in Morocco in 1995 and 2004. The analysis shows that the most visible subsidies might not have been the most inefficient, nor the most resource consuming for the state. Examination of policy changes since 1995 shows that while the most visible subsidies received nearly all the government's attention, large invisible subsidies remain at the heart of Morocco's housing policy. The framework used here is very general and can be used to compare the Moroccan system with those of similar countries.