Is there a Connection between Welfare State Regime and Dwelling Type? An Exploratory Statistical Analysis

Abstract

This exploratory paper tests whether there is a relationship between the nature of a particular society (represented by its welfare state regime), and the characteristics and appreciation of the single-family dwellings and the apartments within this society. In order to grasp differences in the nature of societies, the study uses the welfare state typology of Esping-Andersen (with the addition of a Mediterranean welfare state regime). In this (adapted) typology, four different welfare state regime types are distinguished: a social-democratic welfare state regime, a corporatist welfare state regime, a liberal welfare state regime and a Mediterranean welfare state regime. Different statistical techniques are used to investigate the relationship between welfare state regime type and dwelling type. First, a number of bivariate tables are presented that indicate how the incidence, tenure category, quality and the appreciation of single-family dwellings compared to apartments differ between welfare state regimes. Subsequently, there is an analysis of the bivariate relations between these aspects. To find out whether the typology of Esping-Andersen really is a useful classification system with regard to the characteristics and appreciation of single-family dwellings as against apartments, a cluster analysis is conducted. The clusters that result from this analysis are interpreted and compared with the typology of the four welfare state regimes. Based on the results of these statistical analyses, some conclusions are drawn and some directions for further research are outlined.

High dwelling vacancy rate and high prices of housing in Malta a mediterranean phenomenon

“…The three models differed fundamentally from each other on aspects like the degree of decommodification, the relationship between welfarestate policies and forms of social stratification, and the 'mix between State, market and the family' in the design and delivery of welfare services (Esping-Andersen 1990). Ever since this classification was advanced, a heated debate has been raging on how to fit many of the western industrialized countries into certain welfare-state types, entailing an argument for and against the existence of a ''South European '' or ''Mediterranean'' model (EspingAndersen 1990;Leibfried 1993;Ferrera 1996;Trifiletti 1999;Vakili-Zad 2007;Gough 1996;Martin 1996;Flaquer 2000;Allen et al 2004;Hoekstra 2005). Those who support the existence of such a model have convincingly argued that the South European countries constitute a distinct welfare model comprising extravagant constitutional promises alongside rudimentary social rights and weak public implementation, superimposed on a greater role of the Church, family and hidden economy than in the North (Leibfried 1993).…”

La inseguridad residencial por problemas económicos en España comparada con el entorno europeo

“…Estos países son: Alemania, Francia, Italia, Polonia, el Reino Unido y Suecia. Los dos primeros son característicos del sistema residencial continental; Italia es una muestra del modelo del sur de Europa; Polonia, del de los países del Este de Europa; el Reino Unido, del sistema liberal anglosajón, y Suecia, del nórdico (Allen et al, 2004;Hoekstra, 2005;Mandic, 2012;Van der Heijden, 2013;Módenes et al, 2013b).…”

“…Italia forma parte del sistema residencial del sur de Europa (Allen et al, 2004;Hoekstra, 2005;Baldini y Poggio, 2014). Esto debería quizá traducirse en una cierta proximidad de comportamiento en cuanto a la inseguridad residencial.…”

Home ownership in Southern European countries: Similarities and differences

“…After some early proposals in the 1990s (Bonoli 1997;Ferrera 1996), and the contributions of Allen et al (2004), Leal (2004) and Hoekstra (2005), among others, there has been a recognition of Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain as a homogeneous group with strong differences from all the other European countries. Bridging the gap with Esping-Andersen regimes (1990; 1999), these countries are characterized by a low level of decommodification, a relatively high level of stratification and the dominant position held by the family (Hoekstra 2005;).…”