The really big contradiction: homeownership discourses in times of financialization

Abstract

Belgium is a typical homeowner society where homeownership is not only the largest but also the 'normalized' form of tenure. The origins of the Belgian homeownership ideology go back to the early days of industrialization but the discourses surrounding the ideology are reproduced in the 21 st century. Our investigation of the largest region of Belgium, Flanders, reveals four main homeownership discourses: affordable homeownership, conservative housing finance, assetbased welfare and tenure neutrality. With a nod to Kemeny's 'The Really Big Trade-Off Between Homeownership and Welfare', we demonstrate that there is also a 'Really Big Contradiction' between the discourses that support homeownership as the 'normalized' form of tenure in Belgium and the reality of declining affordability, progressively less conservative housing finance, the fractions and inequalities of housing-based wealth, and the lack of tenure neutrality.In short, we argue that the financialized homeownership model is undermining the stability of homeowner realities and practices, but not so much the discourses and ideologies that support and reinforce the homeowner society.

Why so moderate? Understanding millennials’ views on the urban housing affordability crisis in the post-socialist context of the Czech Republic

“…These experts argue that the main reason for policy reform is the increasing financialisation of housing (e.g. overview in Aalbers et al, 2020 ), and it is this that, intentionally or unintentionally, has led to the affordability crisis and the exclusion of young people from access to homeownership (McKee et al, 2020 ; Bourassa & Shi, 2017 ; Fikse & Aalbers, 2021 ); and that is thereby also responsible for the fact that the housing market is becoming an engine of social inequality (Arundel & Ronald, 2021 ).…”

Do tenants suffer from status syndrome? Homeownership, norms, and suicide in Belgium

“…Such a gap is not visible for Walloon and Brussels residents, especially for men. The strong promotion of homeownership in Flanders might result in a relative stigmatisation or selection of tenants (Fikse and Aalbers 2020). Second, Belgians show a visibly higher risk of suicide than European and especially than non-European foreigners (Appendix -Figure A-3).…”

Жилищные Траектории. Обзор Зарубежных И Российских Исследований

“…Втретьих, исследование дискурса позволяет продемонстрировать зазор, кото рый возникает между «объективными» характеристиками жилищной системы на данный момент (состояние рынка недвижимости и рынка труда, степень соци ально экономического неравенства, направленность жилищной политики государ ства), с одной стороны, и нормами в отношении жилья и социальной мобильности людей -с другой. Наиболее очевидный пример -поддержание идеологии домо владения в ситуации, когда оно оказывается доступно все меньшему числу людей [Fikse, Aalbers, 2020;Raco, 2012].…”