scholarly journals Canadian Housing "Policy" in Perspective

2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Bacher

This paper provides an overview of the history of Canadian housing policy, reviewing the origins of both the programs which were implemented as well as the options which were defeated. Canada's approach to housing policy is also compared to the manner in which other prosperous western democratic states have approached their housing problems. The paper finds that one of the ironies of Canadian housing policy is that homeownership assistance programs for middle income groups and subsidies for private investors have continually emerged in the midst of political demands for publicly subsidized rental housing for low income groups. The Canadian government's rigid commitment to an assisted market approach is exceptional in comparison with other western states. Starting in the 1930s a unity between government and business emerged while a wide gulf remained between federal housing officials and advocates of social housing. The paper argues that this tilt in Canadian housing policy in favour of those Canadians who are least in need of government assistance in securing decent accommodation is no accident, but reflective of the marketplace ethos that has shaped all federal housing efforts.

2017 ◽  
Vol 237 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-273
Author(s):  
Sibylle Stossberg ◽  
Hansjörg Blöchliger

Abstract Fiscal decentralisation might be partially responsible for rising income inequality by exacerbating competition between sub-national governments and compromising national government’s ability to redistribute. This paper investigates the relationship between fiscal decentralisation and economy-wide disposable income inequality. Drawing on a dataset of up to 20 OECD countries and covering the period 1996 to 2011, the analysis links a set of income inequality indicators and a wide array of fiscal decentralisation indicators. Results indicate that decentralisation might actually reduce income inequality, as measured by the Gini coefficient, but the effect is rather small and unstable across specifications. Fine-graining the analysis by using income percentile ratios, in turn, produces more significant and stable results. As such, the effects of fiscal decentralisation are not the same along the income distribution. While decentralisation tends to be associated with a reduction in income inequality between high incomes and the median, it is linked to a divergence of low income groups from the median, notably via sub-central tax autonomy. Transfers between levels of government also tend to be associated with an increase in the gap between lower and middle incomes. Interpreting these effects jointly, it seems that mainly middle income earners benefit from fiscal decentralisation.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0251430
Author(s):  
Lazar Ilic ◽  
M. Sawada

Income polarization is a pressing issue which is increasingly discussed by academics and policymakers. The present research examines income polarization in Canada’s eight largest Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) using data at the census-tract (CT) level between 1971 and 2016. Generally, there are significant decreasing trends in the middle-income population with simultaneously increasing trends in low-income groups. The high-income groups have been relatively stable with fewer significant increasing population trends. Using conventional mapping and cartograms, patterns of the spatial evolution of income inequality are illustrated. Every CMA examined contains an increasing trend of spatial fragmentation at the patch level within each CMA’s landscape mosaic. The results of a spatial autocorrelation analysis at the sub-patch, CT level, exhibit significant spatial clustering of high-income CTs as one process that dominates the increasingly fragmented landscape mosaic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adyasha Suvadarshini ◽  
Bidhu Bhusan Mishra

The following paper attempts to understand if income determines the buying decision-making styles of consumers in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha, a state located on eastern India. A total of 103 respondents of Bhubaneswar were chosen by using the Mall intercept method. The samples were classified into three groups based on their average annual family income such as High Income, Middle Income and Low Income groups. Exploratory Factor Analysis was carried to identify the decisionmaking styles. ANOVA was employed to compare the shopping styles of these three income sub-groups. Results indicate that differences in consumer shopping styles exist among the income sub-groups. Findings of the study can be used by marketers for segmentation, targeting and positioning of retail shoppers which may facilitate them to compete efficiently. It is recommended that different income sub-groups should be viewed as distinct consumer segments and strategies should be formulated to cater each segment effectively.


Author(s):  
Geoffrey Meen ◽  
Christine Whitehead

Chapter 5 discusses housing for low-income groups. Households face a wide dispersion of housing costs and data for the UK and many other countries show that those on low incomes are more likely to spend a high percentage of their incomes on housing in the absence of support. Low-income households are also more heavily concentrated in the rental housing sectors. The chapter, therefore, concentrates on the measures that have been implemented to support housing and the extent to which the problem of high rents is offset by income related subsidies. The chapter also stresses that low-income affordability cannot be considered in isolation from other parts of the housing market and the economy more widely, notably fiscal and monetary policies and changes in the income distribution, and policy has generally taken insufficient account of the interlinkages.


2005 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary O. Borg ◽  
Harriet A. Stranahan

Abstract:Is it unethical to advertise lotteries? Many citizens think that states should not be actively promoting and encouraging the public to spend hard-earned dollars on a bet that they are virtually guaranteed to lose. Perhaps more importantly, business ethicists are concerned that lottery advertising may be targeting the most vulnerable markets: households with the lowest income and education levels. If this were true, then it would increase the already disproportionately large burden of lottery taxes on the poor. Fortunately, our research finds no evidence to support the contention that advertising is responsible for high rates of lottery participation and expenditures by lower income groups or that low-income groups are more affected by advertising than high-income groups. On the contrary, awareness of lottery advertising seems to be associated with a higher probability to play Lotto only for the middle income group. This means that lottery advertising may actually reduce the regressivity of lottery taxes.


Author(s):  
Mark Stephens ◽  
Adam Stephenson

This chapter charts the radical reorientation of housing policy in the UK that was set in motion by the coalition government elected in 2010 and accelerated by the majority Conservative government elected in 2015. There is a strong tendency to favour home-ownership and worsening financial and regulative conditions for those who are not (yet) capable of buying a home. A variety of financial measures has increased the costs of housing for low incomes, whereas safety measures to protect these groups gradually have been abolished. Moreover, legal reforms with regard to tenure security for new tenants have even further worsened the position of low-income newcomers on the housing market. To conclude: the British housing policy redistributes rights away from low-income groups in favour of other groups.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 8841
Author(s):  
Jian Liu ◽  
Huay Ying Ong

Housing affordability is a long-held issue in Malaysia, and housing policies have been implemented for low-income households over the years. However, there is a contradiction that housing affordability of low-income households has not been met, while the bulk of affordable housing is still vacant. In 2019, Malaysia enacted the National Affordable Housing Policy (DRMM) which was intended to improve housing affordability for low-income groups. This paper aims to answer why Malaysia’s long-term implementation of affordable housing policies cannot guarantee housing affordability, and whether the DRMM can effectively improve housing affordability as expected, by comparing the empirical factors of housing affordability. A literature review and a comparative analysis are adopted in the research. The paper concludes that low household income, high land price, construction cost and compliance cost, mismatch of supply and demand in terms of quantity, the instability of the national economy, low home financing ability, and incomprehensive housing planning have caused low housing affordability of low-income groups in Malaysia. The DRMM as anticipated can improve housing affordability by supplying affordable housing more precisely, lowering housing costs, and improving home financing ability. However, the exclusion of household income and economic factors may cause the ineffectiveness of the DRMM in improving housing affordability for low-income households.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Sawyer ◽  
F van Lenthe ◽  
C Kamphuis ◽  
M Poelman ◽  
S Djojosoeparto ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Inequalities in obesity and related non-communicable diseases pertain in part to less healthy dietary intake in disadvantaged groups. Examining determinants of intake as a complex adaptive system - i.e. interconnected determinants exerting non-linear influence on outcomes - honours the complexity of dietary choices, behaviours and intake, and could inform policies. This study used literature to map the complex system underlying dietary intake in low-income groups, to identify system structure and goals perpetuating poorer dietary outcomes. Methods A systematic umbrella literature review examined determinants of dietary outcomes in children, adolescents and adults. Inclusion criteria were: • Low-income sample; analysis by income (Non-)systematic review of quantitative/qualitative, observational/intervention studiesHigher/upper-middle-income countriesExposures: individual, sociocultural, physical, political determinants/correlates; effect modifiers Excluded outcomes were: breastfeeding, alcohol and neophobia. Using causal loop diagramming, extracted data on determinants, associations and interpretation were embedded in a systems map of mechanisms driving dietary intake. System structure (e.g. sub-systems) and goals (e.g. feedback loops) were analysed. Results A systems map of hypothesised mechanisms driving dietary intake in low-income groups was developed from 43 reviews and expert consensus. The system comprised sub-systems: 1) accessibility, 2) household resources, 3) financial constraints, 4) health/biology, 5) knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, 6) sociocultural influences. Identified sub-system goals could undermine healthy intake opportunities, e.g. energy-dense food choices for cost-efficiency, heightened exposure to energy-dense foods determining preferences. Conclusions The literature-based systems map articulates the systemic basis of poorer dietary outcomes in low-income groups. Understanding system structure and goals will inform equitable policy. Key messages Dietary intake in low-income groups is driven by a complex system of mechanisms which may perpetuate poorer dietary outcomes. Existing literature was synthesised as a systems map; identification of structures and goals of the system can inform health equity policies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 40
Author(s):  
Anjay Kumar Mishra

ABSTRACT There is the requirement of large number of housing units to meet the housing needs of low-income groups in Kathmandu Valley. The overall objective of this study was to find out the appropriate ways to address these needs. The questionnaire survey and interview were carried out with low-income groups, housing experts, planners, implementers, and concerned organizations. Relative Importance Index (RII) has been calculated to find out the hierarchy of important factors and appropriate approaches for addressing the housing needs for low-income groups in Kathmandu Valley. This number is very large and the location and nature of squatter settlements are different causing it is impossible that only one approach will be suitable to meet the housing needs of the entire low-income groups. Hence, different suitable approaches have been considered to address housing needs. In a city like Kathmandu where the price of land is skyrocketing, purchasing the land parcel is beyond the capacity of the low-income groups. In this approach, the rental housing at the fringe area is more suitable to fulfill the housing needs of the low-income groups, in order to provide an adequate housing facility at a reasonable cost. The monthly rent of the housing allocated for different categories of low-income groups should be positively classified based on their affordability. Keywords: Perception, Approaches, Cost Recovery, Affordability, Accessibility


2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loretta Lees

Abstract Gentrification is no-longer, if it ever was, a small scale process of urban transformation. Gentrification globally is more often practised as large scale urban redevelopment. It is state-led or state-induced. The results are clear – the displacement and disenfranchisement of low income groups in favour of wealthier in-movers. So, why has gentrification come to dominate policy making worldwide and what can be done about it?


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