Bricks in the wall: the politics of housing in Europe

Abstract

Housing has important economic, political, and social ramifications for Western Europe and beyond. Despite its importance in shaping economic and political outcomes, however, housing remains in the peripheral vision of major comparative political economy debates. This introduction to the special issue accomplishes four objectives. First it demonstrates how housing defies current political economy typologies by failing to conform to their theoretical and empirical predictions. Second it summarises the current state of housing research within political science, which still remains in its infancy. Third it highlights how the contributions in this special issue expand our understanding of how housing causes and is shaped by political and economic outcomes in Europe. Finally, this introduction concludes by outlining how the special issue contributions demonstrate housing’s importance for the welfare state, political preferences and electoral shifts, regulatory and redistributive policies, and financialisation and household indebtedness in Europe.     

Fiscal Austerity and Rental Housing Policy in the United States and United Kingdom, 2010–2016

After the 2008 global financial crisis, both the United States and the United Kingdom introduced austerity policies targeted at particular elements of their national budgets. The purpose of this article is to compare the nature of this retrenchment; the similarities and differences in how it was implemented; and its initial impacts on one of the expenditure areas particularly affected: affordable rental housing programs and housing support for low-income households. Using a wide range of data sources, we find evidence of political and fiscal policy analogies in the timing and forms of the initial policy choices and how these were modified in the face of economic and political pressures. There are considerable similarities both in the instruments used to reduce housing expenditures and in the early impacts on support mechanisms and recipients. However, we find different histories and trajectories of support between the two countries that suggest that the longer term differences in outcomes may be more important.     

A Comparative Assessment of Elite Policy Recruits in Canada

Recent case studies and large-N survey evidence has confirmed long-suspected shortages of public sector “policy capacity”. Studies have found that government policy workers in various jurisdictions differ considerably with respect to types of policy work they undertake, and have identified uneven capacity for policy workers to access and apply technical and scientific knowledge to public issues. This suggests considerable difficulties for government’s ability to meet contemporary policy and governance challenges. Despite growing attention to these matters, studies have not examined the “elite” policy workers many governments recruit to address these capacity shortages. Using an established survey instrument, this study of two Canadian recruitment programs provides the first comparative analysis of elite policy recruits, as policy workers. Three research questions anchor the study: (1) What is the profile of these actors? (2) What types of policy work do “elite” policy analysts actually engage in? (3) How does their policy work compare by recruitment program? The article provides fresh comparative data on the nature of elite policy work and policy analytical capacity, but, more importantly, a crucial baseline for future comparative study of how elite recruitment may facilitate “supply-side” capacity gains expected from recruitment programs.     

A Comparative Study of Denmark and New Zealand’s National Health Targets

This paper investigates the influence of nationally imposed health targets on current management control practices in New Zealand and Denmark. It reveals how variants of New Public Management (NPM), arising from specific historical socio-political contexts, rise to the challenge of national differences. The study finds that both nations are challenged to ensure data registration procedures produce valid and comparable performance measures. Denmark’s reliance on a single efficiency measure of health sector performance reflects a historic socio-political context that reduces the feasibility of additional measures whereas New Zealand’s context enables the government to impose a more extensive range of health targets.     

How Single-Parent Children Speak About Poverty and Social Exclusion: Policy Implications From a Comparative,Qualitative, Cross-National Project

This article presents some of the key findings from a comparative, qualitative research study carried out in the United Kingdom, Greece, and Cyprus. The main goal of the study was to investigate single-parent children's experiences and understandings of poverty and social exclusion in their everyday lives and to make relevant policy recommendations. The article highlights children's voices and illustrates the utility of integrating them in efforts to develop sensitive policies which meet their needs as these stem from their own experiences of poverty and social exclusion while also making the case for the utility of comparative, qualitative, cross-national research.     

论“中小企业”的立法界定标准——从 比 较 法 的 视 角

西方各国对“中小企业”的立法界定标准差异显著，在其本国内每一部政府扶持立法通常都规定了自己的“中小企业”定义。我国对“中小企业”的立法界定标准先后进行过几次大调整，但目前的立法仍存在诸多缺陷，需要进一步加以完善。立法界定“中小企业”，应以“小”的本质涵义为起点，以“相对随意性”为指导理论。     

论刑事回避制度——以比较法为视角

刑事回避是一种重要的刑事诉讼制度，它对刑事案件的公正、公平审判，犯罪嫌疑人、被告人以及其他诉讼参与人合法权益的保护都具有十分重要的意义。文章以国外刑事诉讼立法与司法实践为基础，以比较法为视角，全面阐述了刑事回避的启动与决定；刑事回避的适用对象与适用原由；刑事回避的法律后果与救济等内容。     

法律职业人才培养——从比较法研究的视角

特定的法律人才培养模式，不仅决定了一个国家法律人才的素质，更对国家的司法体系，法的生产方式及其发展，法的运行模式等等产生深远的影响。处于社会变革时期的发展中国家，选择一种适合本国国情的法律人才培养模式，会对国家法制建设和社会变迁起到积极作用。我国法律人才培养存在定位不清，课程设置不合理，没有形成办学特色等问题。通过比较法研究，寻求相应的改革路径。     

论侦查讯问中的环境因素

侦查讯问是侦查员与犯罪嫌疑人在特定的环境中以面对面的方式进行的一种特殊的侦查措施,其目的在于获取犯罪嫌疑人的言词证据和线索。特定的环境和面对面的方式是侦查讯问的突出特点。单从环境因素的角度,其可分解为时空环境因素、人际环境因素和语言环境因素。不同的环境因素会对侦查讯问产生不同的影响。