This paper focuses on the occurrence of home-leaving and its key structural determinants across the enlarged EU. By building on the literature for Western Europe and by cluster analysis of the data for 24 member states, it seeks to explore different constellations of structural factors, manifested in the grouping of similar countries, and possibly resulting in diverse, regionally specific incidences of home-leaving by youths under 35 years of age. The exploratory analysis noted three clusters of countries: the north-western, characterised by the earliest homeleaving and best opportunity structures for independent housing; the south-western cluster, marked by the latest leaving of the parental home and only somewhat less favourable opportunities, but highest family support; the north-eastern cluster, characterised by late, yet not extremely late, homeleaving, combined with outstandingly unfavourable opportunities and strikingly low family support. These differences, partly confirmed as statistically significant, are further discussed and related to welfare regime typologies and their usefulness.

The paper discusses the ways and the extent to which home ownership in postsocialist societies represents a potential to serve as an additional source of welfare. First, the specific institutional context is observed, highlighting how during transition collectivist forms of welfare and housing provision gave way to more individualised risks coverage, thus strengthening the role of wealth and establishing home ownership on a massive scale. Secondly, the actual possibilities of home ownership to serve as a latent wealth reservoir are observed. To highlight the capacities and limitations of home ownership to sustain, store and release wealth, selected characteristics of households and of their housing are empirically examined by using data from EQLS. A relatively high incidence of unfit housing and of economic hardship and deprivation were found among homeowners, indicating their very limited capacity to store and sustain the wealth contained in their housing. This is particularly pronounced in comparison to West Europe. However, significant diversity was found also among post-socialist countries, as distinguished in three sub-groups; in the Central East European sub-group, the limitations were found distinctively less frequently.

Housing conditions vary widely across the EU and the fact that new member-states are lagging behind in this regard has even come onto the European policy agenda. This article examines housing conditions as an outcome of complex social developments and highlights specific reasons why housing conditions vary so much within the EU. Thus the specific impact is observed of factors which have been identified in the literature as characterising distinctive housing models: the eastern European housing model, the southern European housing model and the distinction between cost-renting and homeowning countries. Further, the impact of these factors, along with general socioeconomic development, is empirically assessed by a linear regression model based on the EQLS 2003 dataset. The results clearly support the thesis of economic development playing a decisive role, with it being the biggest single factor explaining variations in housing conditions across the EU, followed by the significant influence of policy choice and the incidence of family support.

Residential mobility is a widely discussed phenomenon perceived as a mechanism of housing adjustments and as a manifestation of housing choice. This paper focuses on 'in-place' adjustments and suggests its further recognition relative to mobility in both theoretical and empirical terms. By reviewing the main housing choice debates, the paper endeavours to show how the mobility-centred approach is insuf cient to capture and explain those housing choice situations where non-market options of housing provision are signi cant. This is important for an understanding of housing choice not only in societies in transition, but also as far as non-market (public and self-help) provision of housing is recognised. The paper explores two speci c types of 'in-place' housing adjustments: change in the housing status and major physical alteration of the residence of non-movers. For this purpose, Slovenian social survey data were used. Focusing on the present housing episode, its median duration was found to be very long and a surprisingly high incidence of such 'in-place dynamism' was found. The ndings of the empirical analysis in case of Slovenia indicate how the mobilitycentred approach might be insuf cient for comprehending a speci c 'housing choice situation', and point out the need for a more context-sensitive discussion of housing options to avoid the dangers of 'Anglo-Saxon hegemony'.

The nature of home ownership is contested within housing studies, with disagreement over whether it is a 'natural desire' or an unimportant feature of the housing situation. This paper sheds some light on this debate by examining the meaning of home ownership in Slovenia both before and after democratic changes in the early 1990s. In the late 1970s and the 1980s there was an acute housing shortage and households opted for the tenure which provided them with a better chance of being housed and employers provided home loans rather than building new rented housing to make scarce funds stretch further. The attributes within each of the tenures at this time varied widely and were more important in influencing housing quality and the rights and obligations of tenants than tenure. The early 1990s have brought a strong ideological drive towards home ownership as a symbol of a market economy. In addition, the sale of rented housing derives income for industrial enterprises which can be invested in their mainstream activities. The move to overwhelming support for home ownership cannot be explained solely by reference to household preferences.