The Political Economy of Housing in Ireland

Bibliographic Data

ID23740869
AuthorsMichelle Norris (0000-0001-6109-2103, University College Dublin), Michael Byrne (0000-0002-2681-5510, Social Work, University College Dublin)
Year2021
Pages499-518
Publication date2021-08-11
Open AccessNo
TypeCHAPTER
VenueOxford Handbook of Irish Politics (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198823834.013.29
OpenAlexW3204527319
ISBN9780198823834
LanguageEN
References cited12

This chapter examines the political economy of housing in Ireland since the turn of the nineteenth century. It identifies three phases. The early and mid-twentieth century saw enormous state intervention, with the Irish welfare state becoming property based and home ownership being socialized. The closing years of the twentieth century saw state intervention diminish, and the consequent shaping of housing dynamics by financial markets. This drove a house price and building boom, before bust in the mid-2000s. The years since the financial crisis have seen an intensification of neoliberalization and financialization, through the ever greater marketization of housing and the development of links between global capital and urban development, asset ownership, and housing. This analysis shows the central role that housing has played in the Irish political economy. It also demonstrates significant long-term continuity in housing policy, and the importance of taking into account national institutional, political, and cultural contexts.

Economic system · Economics · Economy · Market economy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism

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