THE HOUSING‐WELFARE REGIME AND THIRD‐SECTOR HOUSING IN HONG KONG AND SOUTH KOREA: A Historical Institutionalist Perspective

Abstract

The third sector has recently emerged, or re‐emerged, as a new housing provider for disadvantaged groups in Hong Kong and Korea, where affordable housing development has been predominantly directed by government. However, our knowledge of third‐sector housing in non‐Western contexts remains partial. In this article, we aim to provide, from a historical‐institutionalist perspective, a comparative account of the (re‐)emergence and implementation of third‐sector affordable housing delivery in Hong Kong and Korea. Based on the housing‐welfare regime framework, we discuss the socioeconomic and political contexts in which third‐sector housing has burgeoned in the two regions, and how the relationship between the government and the third sector has moulded the implementation of third‐sector housing. We highlight the significant power of the government in implementing third‐sector housing and third‐sector organizations’ continued complementary role to the government in supplying housing as welfare, which reflects the path‐dependent nature of housing and welfare policies in the two regions. Adopting a long view to understanding history and a broader framework that reflects the socioeconomic context contributes to advancing the comparative housing literature.