The University of Aberdeen, Queen’s University Belfast and The National University of Ireland Maynooth have established the Irish Scottish Forum for Spatial Planning. Its purpose is to critically examine the relationship between strategic planning and the development of cities, towns and countryside in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland. A series of three major events are scheduled for 2009 and will bring together expert speakers and audiences that will open up a debate on how contemporary planning is affecting the shaping of space and place:
The Spaces of the Nation: The Planning of Space in Ireland and Scotland
University of Aberdeen, 12th – 13th June 2009
(in partnership with The AHRC Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies
Professor Cairns Craig, Director)
Rural Planning and Development: Comparative Perspectives on a Rural White Paper
Queen’s University Belfast, 18th September 2009
(in partnership with Rural Community Network)
Development Corridors and the Role of Spatial Planning in Border Territories
National University of Ireland Maynooth, 19th November 2009
For further information contact either:
Professor Bill Neill, Director
Centre for Planning and Environmental Management
School of Geosciences
University of Aberdeen
b.neill@abdn.ac.uk
or
Dr Michael Murray, Reader in Spatial Planning
Institute of Spatial and Environmental Planning
Queen’s University Belfast
m.r.murray@qub.ac.uk
or
Brendan Bartley, Deputy Director
National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis
National University of Ireland Maynooth
Brendan.Bartley@nuim.ie
Wednesday 11 February 2009
Tuesday 10 February 2009
BOOK REVIEW
The Culture of Homelessness
Megan Ravenhill (2008)
Ashgate, Hardback £52.25, ISBN 9780754671909
Becoming homeless is a process and movements into and through homelessness, as Rebecca Tunstall points out in her preface, have been neglected in homelessness studies. The Culture of Homelessness helps to fill the gap. The book’s main themes are set out in the introduction: comparing roofless people with those who experienced similar triggers but who never actually became homeless; examining the influence of the ‘homelessness industry’ on transitions through homelessness; exploring the impact of ‘homeless culture’ and investigating what the author calls the ‘assault course’ of the resettlement process.
Chapters two and three competently explore definitions and explanations of homelessness but, unlike Carol McNaughton’s Transitions Through Homelessness (2008) that adopts a similar methodological approach, these explorations are not well-related to the definitions and explanations used to analyse the research material. Chapter four contains an interesting account of the impact of homelessness legislation on the rough sleeping issue although it is somewhat restricted in its analysis of Blair’s flagship Coming In From the Cold programme (1999).
The research material through which the book’s main themes are interrogated was gathered between October 1997 and July 2001 and May 2004 to November 2006. It consisted of ‘life story interviews’, ‘depth interviews’,’ informal interviews and long conversations’ - plus ‘covert observation on the streets’, participant observation in homelessness organisations and ‘life-story scenarios of homeless people used in promotional literature’ (p.82). All the chosen methods are fully explained and justified in chapter five. The longitudinal and ethnographic methods reveal their insights in chapter six. Here the importance of accumulating triggers into homelessness over time is revealed with the first triggers often starting in childhood and with, on average, nine years between triggers and homelessness. A number of individual route-maps into homelessness are set out that expose the long-term processes involved in becoming homeless with rough sleeping episodes interspersed with squatting, staying with friends, living in unsatisfactory accommodation etc.
Chapter seven contains a vivid description of the ‘homeless culture’ or, more accurately, ‘homeless cultures’ including the ‘street drinking culture’ and the ‘drug-addicted’ culture – ignored in the literature according to the author because ‘people in the homeless industry fear that such an analysis could create a discourse by which homeless people would be judged, and this is felt to be unhelpful’ (p.145). Not all culture participants were rough sleepers - they were joined by the ‘homeless at heart’ (lonely and isolated in their accommodation and seeking camaraderie at day centres) and ‘homeless advocates and activists’ (ex-homeless people who had formed organizations aimed at helping or fighting on behalf of roofless people). The cultures had their hierarchies and pecking orders with the homeless person with the most problems ranking the highest. Culture membership was a source of identity, friendship and support and becoming homeless meant ‘learning to be homeless’ by absorption into the culture. The learning process was short with those remaining marginal to the homeless culture being more likely to exit homelessness.
Chapter eight explores ‘the long struggle faced by those attempting to resettle’ (p 183). Four dominant catalysts triggered the exit process: the bottom had been reached and the only way was up; the lifestyle was getting too much; a sudden shock or trauma and the realisation that someone cared. However the resettlement process was difficult to access at all stages and Ravenhill’s accounts of the barriers to escaping rooflessness are important contributions to the homelessness literature.
Chapter nine sets out conclusions and recommendations including a useful section on roofless people’s views on what would prevent rooflessness and some robust recommendations on changes to existing system such as ‘keeping people within the hostel system while they wait for some form of social housing or supported housing to become available is counterproductive and in some cases damaging, Rather than calls for more hostels there needs to be a faster movement of people to independent living training or “probationary” accommodation (p 229).
The Culture of Homelessness - a strange title given that only chapter seven is devoted to culture - has all the strengths and weaknesses associated with the qualitative, ethnographic approach. It is valuable in capturing the experiences of people ‘without a settled way of living’ - to use the Poor Law terminology - and the reader can taste and smell the issue. Following Jencks’ The Homeless (1994), it has some perceptive comments on the impact of the ‘homeless industry’ that ‘whilst attempting to alleviate homelessness’ has an interest ‘to ensure that there is always a next phase that needs to be looked into and addressed’ (p.15) and by providing services draws ‘some people out of precarious housing (or difficult living situations) and into homelessness…’ (p 15).
However, at times, the data presentation is not systematic so that, for example, the important comparison of roofless people with those who experienced similar triggers but never actually became homeless becomes somewhat lost in the case study detail. In addition the representativeness of the research findings cannot be assessed. As examples, the seven route-maps into homelessness on offer consist of five women and two men whereas according to the Social Exclusion Unit’s report Rough Sleeping (1998) nine out of ten rough sleepers are men. Moreover we do not know how many homeless people are absorbed into the homeless culture and how many remained aloof, part of the ‘hidden’ homelessness. Thus, although The Culture of Homelessness is insightful, robust and interesting, its policy recommendations need to be treated with caution.
Brian Lund, Department of Sociology, Manchester Metropolitan University
References
Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1999) Coming in from the Cold: The Government's Strategy on Rough Sleeping, London: DETR
Jencks, C. (1994) The Homeless, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
McNaughton, C. (2008) Transitions Through Homelessness: Lives on the Edge, London: PalgraveMacmillan.
Social Exclusion Unit (1998) Rough Sleeping, Cm 4008, London: The Stationery Office.
Megan Ravenhill (2008)
Ashgate, Hardback £52.25, ISBN 9780754671909
Becoming homeless is a process and movements into and through homelessness, as Rebecca Tunstall points out in her preface, have been neglected in homelessness studies. The Culture of Homelessness helps to fill the gap. The book’s main themes are set out in the introduction: comparing roofless people with those who experienced similar triggers but who never actually became homeless; examining the influence of the ‘homelessness industry’ on transitions through homelessness; exploring the impact of ‘homeless culture’ and investigating what the author calls the ‘assault course’ of the resettlement process.
Chapters two and three competently explore definitions and explanations of homelessness but, unlike Carol McNaughton’s Transitions Through Homelessness (2008) that adopts a similar methodological approach, these explorations are not well-related to the definitions and explanations used to analyse the research material. Chapter four contains an interesting account of the impact of homelessness legislation on the rough sleeping issue although it is somewhat restricted in its analysis of Blair’s flagship Coming In From the Cold programme (1999).
The research material through which the book’s main themes are interrogated was gathered between October 1997 and July 2001 and May 2004 to November 2006. It consisted of ‘life story interviews’, ‘depth interviews’,’ informal interviews and long conversations’ - plus ‘covert observation on the streets’, participant observation in homelessness organisations and ‘life-story scenarios of homeless people used in promotional literature’ (p.82). All the chosen methods are fully explained and justified in chapter five. The longitudinal and ethnographic methods reveal their insights in chapter six. Here the importance of accumulating triggers into homelessness over time is revealed with the first triggers often starting in childhood and with, on average, nine years between triggers and homelessness. A number of individual route-maps into homelessness are set out that expose the long-term processes involved in becoming homeless with rough sleeping episodes interspersed with squatting, staying with friends, living in unsatisfactory accommodation etc.
Chapter seven contains a vivid description of the ‘homeless culture’ or, more accurately, ‘homeless cultures’ including the ‘street drinking culture’ and the ‘drug-addicted’ culture – ignored in the literature according to the author because ‘people in the homeless industry fear that such an analysis could create a discourse by which homeless people would be judged, and this is felt to be unhelpful’ (p.145). Not all culture participants were rough sleepers - they were joined by the ‘homeless at heart’ (lonely and isolated in their accommodation and seeking camaraderie at day centres) and ‘homeless advocates and activists’ (ex-homeless people who had formed organizations aimed at helping or fighting on behalf of roofless people). The cultures had their hierarchies and pecking orders with the homeless person with the most problems ranking the highest. Culture membership was a source of identity, friendship and support and becoming homeless meant ‘learning to be homeless’ by absorption into the culture. The learning process was short with those remaining marginal to the homeless culture being more likely to exit homelessness.
Chapter eight explores ‘the long struggle faced by those attempting to resettle’ (p 183). Four dominant catalysts triggered the exit process: the bottom had been reached and the only way was up; the lifestyle was getting too much; a sudden shock or trauma and the realisation that someone cared. However the resettlement process was difficult to access at all stages and Ravenhill’s accounts of the barriers to escaping rooflessness are important contributions to the homelessness literature.
Chapter nine sets out conclusions and recommendations including a useful section on roofless people’s views on what would prevent rooflessness and some robust recommendations on changes to existing system such as ‘keeping people within the hostel system while they wait for some form of social housing or supported housing to become available is counterproductive and in some cases damaging, Rather than calls for more hostels there needs to be a faster movement of people to independent living training or “probationary” accommodation (p 229).
The Culture of Homelessness - a strange title given that only chapter seven is devoted to culture - has all the strengths and weaknesses associated with the qualitative, ethnographic approach. It is valuable in capturing the experiences of people ‘without a settled way of living’ - to use the Poor Law terminology - and the reader can taste and smell the issue. Following Jencks’ The Homeless (1994), it has some perceptive comments on the impact of the ‘homeless industry’ that ‘whilst attempting to alleviate homelessness’ has an interest ‘to ensure that there is always a next phase that needs to be looked into and addressed’ (p.15) and by providing services draws ‘some people out of precarious housing (or difficult living situations) and into homelessness…’ (p 15).
However, at times, the data presentation is not systematic so that, for example, the important comparison of roofless people with those who experienced similar triggers but never actually became homeless becomes somewhat lost in the case study detail. In addition the representativeness of the research findings cannot be assessed. As examples, the seven route-maps into homelessness on offer consist of five women and two men whereas according to the Social Exclusion Unit’s report Rough Sleeping (1998) nine out of ten rough sleepers are men. Moreover we do not know how many homeless people are absorbed into the homeless culture and how many remained aloof, part of the ‘hidden’ homelessness. Thus, although The Culture of Homelessness is insightful, robust and interesting, its policy recommendations need to be treated with caution.
Brian Lund, Department of Sociology, Manchester Metropolitan University
References
Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1999) Coming in from the Cold: The Government's Strategy on Rough Sleeping, London: DETR
Jencks, C. (1994) The Homeless, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
McNaughton, C. (2008) Transitions Through Homelessness: Lives on the Edge, London: PalgraveMacmillan.
Social Exclusion Unit (1998) Rough Sleeping, Cm 4008, London: The Stationery Office.
BOOK REVIEW
The Ideology of Home Ownership: Homeowner Societies and the Role of Housing
Richard Ronald (2008)
Palgrave Macmillan, Hardback £55.00, ISBN 9781403989451
This book was published a few months ago, and due to lead times in printing, not to mention the time it takes to write a book of this size, the majority of the material must have been written some time ago. However, in a year that has seen such enormous change in the housing world, the subject of the book has only become more pertinent. The author takes a long view, as is essential in a work of this nature, so changing context does little to diminish its value. Ronald’s aim for the book is to consider how and why home ownership has become so significant in a range of international contexts, and to develop understanding of the role of housing systems, ideologies and practices in social structures.
Ronald’s work here is, to narrowly avoid a football analogy, a book of two halves. The opening half of the book is described by the author as theoretical, while the second half is called empirical and comparative. Beyond the subject matter, though, the whole writing style differs quite noticeably between the two halves, as is evident from a quick skim of the contents: the first four chapters’ subheadings include lots of “isms” and “izations” and even a “discourses” for good measure; the latter chapters’ include “a British nation of homeowners”, “an American home ownership dream” and “home ownership in Hong Kong”. The language adopted in the theoretical section of the book is probably such that most outside of academic housing studies will find it hard-going; this is a shame as it is a topic that certainly warrants plenty of attention from those involved in housing policy, and could also be of interest to some working in housing practice, as they consider clients’ aspirations (and particularly in relation to the array of shared ownership and shared equity options on the market).
One of the strengths of the publication is Ronald’s inclusion of two different types of homeowner societies – Anglo-Saxon and East Asian, and several different nations in each of these categories. The book illustrates differences (and similarities) between these different societies in a way that provides greater understanding of each. While the three East Asian case studies, for example, seem fundamentally distinct and different (a fact which Ronald does not avoid), the author has been able to identify key similarities in the ideological conception of homeownership, and its use as a means to pursue economic and social outcomes. Readers will find they gain insight from this drawing together of common features.
Whilst the book is strong on different examples of homeowner societies, I found it to be less so on the subject of societies with lower rates of homeownership. Of course, those are not the subject that the author chose for the book, so I do not suggest that they should be given equal standing, but I feel that more use could have been made of them as counter-examples. Towards the close of the book, Ronald briefly discusses changes in Western European societies with low rates of home ownership; this provides an interesting glimpse of the comparisons that could have been made, and is certainly something I would have liked to read more of.
As described above, there is a strong delineation between the two sections of the book, but the strong structuring goes deeper than that and is very beneficial. The chapters (particularly in the second half) form logical discrete blocks. Throughout the book each chapter is topped and tailed with a well-written introduction and conclusion that does a good job of bringing together the content of the chapter. Within chapters, the author uses plenty of subheadings; they are mostly well-selected to give you a sense of where you are in the flow of the book, although there are several variations on the same themes (within 18 pages we find one “housing and ideology” and two “home ownership ideologies”, with the subsequent chapter called “homeowner ideologies”. References to “home ownership” and “ideology(ies)” are inevitable as the subject of the book but as section heading do not provide as much differentiation as some of the other headings used.
In conclusion, whilst the distinction between the two sections of the book is somewhat jarring, and the first half of the book may put off readers who could make considerable use of the second half, the strong structuring does work to mitigate that. Readers not wishing to take on the whole book should find it relatively easy to pick out those sections that are of most use and interest to them.
Jim Vine,
Head of Programme (UK Housing Policy and Practice) BSHF
Richard Ronald (2008)
Palgrave Macmillan, Hardback £55.00, ISBN 9781403989451
This book was published a few months ago, and due to lead times in printing, not to mention the time it takes to write a book of this size, the majority of the material must have been written some time ago. However, in a year that has seen such enormous change in the housing world, the subject of the book has only become more pertinent. The author takes a long view, as is essential in a work of this nature, so changing context does little to diminish its value. Ronald’s aim for the book is to consider how and why home ownership has become so significant in a range of international contexts, and to develop understanding of the role of housing systems, ideologies and practices in social structures.
Ronald’s work here is, to narrowly avoid a football analogy, a book of two halves. The opening half of the book is described by the author as theoretical, while the second half is called empirical and comparative. Beyond the subject matter, though, the whole writing style differs quite noticeably between the two halves, as is evident from a quick skim of the contents: the first four chapters’ subheadings include lots of “isms” and “izations” and even a “discourses” for good measure; the latter chapters’ include “a British nation of homeowners”, “an American home ownership dream” and “home ownership in Hong Kong”. The language adopted in the theoretical section of the book is probably such that most outside of academic housing studies will find it hard-going; this is a shame as it is a topic that certainly warrants plenty of attention from those involved in housing policy, and could also be of interest to some working in housing practice, as they consider clients’ aspirations (and particularly in relation to the array of shared ownership and shared equity options on the market).
One of the strengths of the publication is Ronald’s inclusion of two different types of homeowner societies – Anglo-Saxon and East Asian, and several different nations in each of these categories. The book illustrates differences (and similarities) between these different societies in a way that provides greater understanding of each. While the three East Asian case studies, for example, seem fundamentally distinct and different (a fact which Ronald does not avoid), the author has been able to identify key similarities in the ideological conception of homeownership, and its use as a means to pursue economic and social outcomes. Readers will find they gain insight from this drawing together of common features.
Whilst the book is strong on different examples of homeowner societies, I found it to be less so on the subject of societies with lower rates of homeownership. Of course, those are not the subject that the author chose for the book, so I do not suggest that they should be given equal standing, but I feel that more use could have been made of them as counter-examples. Towards the close of the book, Ronald briefly discusses changes in Western European societies with low rates of home ownership; this provides an interesting glimpse of the comparisons that could have been made, and is certainly something I would have liked to read more of.
As described above, there is a strong delineation between the two sections of the book, but the strong structuring goes deeper than that and is very beneficial. The chapters (particularly in the second half) form logical discrete blocks. Throughout the book each chapter is topped and tailed with a well-written introduction and conclusion that does a good job of bringing together the content of the chapter. Within chapters, the author uses plenty of subheadings; they are mostly well-selected to give you a sense of where you are in the flow of the book, although there are several variations on the same themes (within 18 pages we find one “housing and ideology” and two “home ownership ideologies”, with the subsequent chapter called “homeowner ideologies”. References to “home ownership” and “ideology(ies)” are inevitable as the subject of the book but as section heading do not provide as much differentiation as some of the other headings used.
In conclusion, whilst the distinction between the two sections of the book is somewhat jarring, and the first half of the book may put off readers who could make considerable use of the second half, the strong structuring does work to mitigate that. Readers not wishing to take on the whole book should find it relatively easy to pick out those sections that are of most use and interest to them.
Jim Vine,
Head of Programme (UK Housing Policy and Practice) BSHF
BOOK REVIEW
Transitions through Homelessness: Lives on the Edge
Carol McNaughton (2008)
Palgrave Macmillan, Hardback £50.00 ISBN 9780230201620
‘Transitions through Homelessness’ brings together longitudinal qualitative data that emphasises the voices and experiences of homeless people, with a convincing theoretical framework which considers ‘edgework’ in a risk society. The book is both comprehensive in its coverage, whilst remaining accessible to the non-specialist. An easy and engaging read, it represents a useful addition to the homelessness and housing policy literature, and forges important connections with the related disciplines of social policy and sociology.
Drawing on rich empirical data, the book centres on the personal narratives of individual service users and their transitions into homelessness. Key to this argument is the micro-level interactions service users have with welfare professionals and case managers, as well as the way in which they negotiate their own identity as ‘homeless people’. The detailed and ethically sensitive accounts presented highlight both the complexity of homelessness, and the unintended consequences and failures of the welfare state. Importantly, by adopting a critical realist perspective and uniting structural and agency explanations McNaughton avoids a ‘blame the victim’ approach and encourages empathy with the individuals featured in the study, whilst at the same time illuminating the irrational and risk-taking behaviour that often contributes to their homelessness. In addition, by emphasising the contested nature of homelessness as a concept, McNaughton also makes points of connection with the social constructionist literature which has been popular in housing studies in recent years.
By drawing on the work of Mitchell Dean (1999), the author makes important theoretical links with the literature on reflexive governance and neo-liberal governmentality, which has been gaining ascendency in policy studies over the last decade. In doing so, she illuminates the key role of front-line workers in managing risky behaviour through promoting active, responsible citizenship amongst service-users. However, the lack of reference to the original work of Foucault is a disappointing omission, as is the failure to engage with other post-Foucauldian scholars prominent within the housing studies and social policy tradition who have posited similar theoretical arguments (see for example, Flint 2003; Flint and Rowlands 2003; Clarke 2005; Marston and McDonald 2006; McDonald and Marston 2005). Some reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of the ‘reflexive governance’ literature would also have been a welcome addition, and by doing so would have enabled the author to situate their work in wider debates. This theoretical issue aside, there is however little to find fault with in this publication.
In conclusion, this is a theoretically informed and empirically rich research monograph which is likely to be a key purchase for students and researchers engaged in the study of homelessness. I would highly recommend it to HSA members.
Kim McKee,
Urban Studies Postdoctoral Fellow,
Geographical & Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow
References
Clarke, J. (2005) “New Labour's Citizens: activated, empowered, responsiblized, abandoned?” Critical Social Policy 25 (4): 447-463.
Dean, M. (1999) “Governmentality: power and rule in modern society”. London: Sage.
Flint, J. (2003) “Housing and Ethopolitics: constructing identities of active consumption and responsible community”, Economy and Society 32 (3): 611-629.
Flint, J. and Rowlands, R. (2003) “Commodification, Normalisation and Intervention: cultural, social and symbolic capital in housing consumption and governance”, Journal of Housing and the Built Environment 18 (3): 213-232.
Marston, G. a. McDonald, C. (2006) “Analysing Social Policy: a governmental approach”. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
McDonald, C. and. Marston, C. (2005) “Workfare as Welfare: governing unemployment in the advanced liberal state”, Critical Social Policy 25 (3): 374-401.
Carol McNaughton (2008)
Palgrave Macmillan, Hardback £50.00 ISBN 9780230201620
‘Transitions through Homelessness’ brings together longitudinal qualitative data that emphasises the voices and experiences of homeless people, with a convincing theoretical framework which considers ‘edgework’ in a risk society. The book is both comprehensive in its coverage, whilst remaining accessible to the non-specialist. An easy and engaging read, it represents a useful addition to the homelessness and housing policy literature, and forges important connections with the related disciplines of social policy and sociology.
Drawing on rich empirical data, the book centres on the personal narratives of individual service users and their transitions into homelessness. Key to this argument is the micro-level interactions service users have with welfare professionals and case managers, as well as the way in which they negotiate their own identity as ‘homeless people’. The detailed and ethically sensitive accounts presented highlight both the complexity of homelessness, and the unintended consequences and failures of the welfare state. Importantly, by adopting a critical realist perspective and uniting structural and agency explanations McNaughton avoids a ‘blame the victim’ approach and encourages empathy with the individuals featured in the study, whilst at the same time illuminating the irrational and risk-taking behaviour that often contributes to their homelessness. In addition, by emphasising the contested nature of homelessness as a concept, McNaughton also makes points of connection with the social constructionist literature which has been popular in housing studies in recent years.
By drawing on the work of Mitchell Dean (1999), the author makes important theoretical links with the literature on reflexive governance and neo-liberal governmentality, which has been gaining ascendency in policy studies over the last decade. In doing so, she illuminates the key role of front-line workers in managing risky behaviour through promoting active, responsible citizenship amongst service-users. However, the lack of reference to the original work of Foucault is a disappointing omission, as is the failure to engage with other post-Foucauldian scholars prominent within the housing studies and social policy tradition who have posited similar theoretical arguments (see for example, Flint 2003; Flint and Rowlands 2003; Clarke 2005; Marston and McDonald 2006; McDonald and Marston 2005). Some reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of the ‘reflexive governance’ literature would also have been a welcome addition, and by doing so would have enabled the author to situate their work in wider debates. This theoretical issue aside, there is however little to find fault with in this publication.
In conclusion, this is a theoretically informed and empirically rich research monograph which is likely to be a key purchase for students and researchers engaged in the study of homelessness. I would highly recommend it to HSA members.
Kim McKee,
Urban Studies Postdoctoral Fellow,
Geographical & Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow
References
Clarke, J. (2005) “New Labour's Citizens: activated, empowered, responsiblized, abandoned?” Critical Social Policy 25 (4): 447-463.
Dean, M. (1999) “Governmentality: power and rule in modern society”. London: Sage.
Flint, J. (2003) “Housing and Ethopolitics: constructing identities of active consumption and responsible community”, Economy and Society 32 (3): 611-629.
Flint, J. and Rowlands, R. (2003) “Commodification, Normalisation and Intervention: cultural, social and symbolic capital in housing consumption and governance”, Journal of Housing and the Built Environment 18 (3): 213-232.
Marston, G. a. McDonald, C. (2006) “Analysing Social Policy: a governmental approach”. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
McDonald, C. and. Marston, C. (2005) “Workfare as Welfare: governing unemployment in the advanced liberal state”, Critical Social Policy 25 (3): 374-401.
Monday 9 February 2009
EARLY CAREER STREAM, HSA CONFERENCE 2009
The abstract deadline for the early-career stream at the forthcoming HSA annual conference in Cardiff (15-17 April 2009) has now been extended to the 27th February.
Please forward all offers of paper before this date to Pauline Card: CardPD@cardiff.ac.uk
For more details about the conference and booking details, please see the HSA website
http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/chp/hsa/
Please forward all offers of paper before this date to Pauline Card: CardPD@cardiff.ac.uk
For more details about the conference and booking details, please see the HSA website
http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/chp/hsa/
EARLY CAREER SYMPOSIUM
‘Theorising Governance’
Postgraduate and Early Career Symposium
University of Glasgow, Friday 12th June 2009
Governance has gained increasing conceptual currency across the social sciences. At the level of ideas, it captures important changes in the way in which society is governed, especially how networks and hierarchies have been structured and restructured in recent decades. Yet it also reflects something more fundamental. Namely, the long standing theoretical interest of the academic community in issues relating to power and rule in contemporary society. Traditionally, this has manifested itself in concerns about ‘who’ has power and ‘what’ are its effects. More recently, this has also encompassed a consideration of ‘how’ power is exercised and its underpinning discursive strategies.
An inherently contested concept, at the most general level governance refers to the strategies, tactics, procedures and processes deployed in order to control, shape, regulate or exercise authority over others at a variety of scales ranging from the micro to the macro level. It involves actors both within and beyond the state, and most importantly perhaps, affords a key role to subjects in their own self-government, as recent UK policy initiatives such as the Respect Agenda, Community Empowerment and Welfare-to-Work have illuminated only too clearly.
Building on last year’s event in Sheffield, the focus of this symposium is the exploration of theories of governance, and their implicit and explicit links with the concept of power.
Key themes include:
• Different theoretical approaches to exploring and critiquing developments in governance
• The limits of theory in analysing empirical data and the challenges this poses for research
• Critical insights and implications for the policy process
Confirmed plenary speaker:
John Flint, Professor of Housing and Urban Governance
Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, Sheffield Hallam University
This event is being funded by the Urban Studies journal. Attendance is FREE and both lunch and tea/coffee will be provided. To register or offer a workshop paper, please contact:
Kim McKee (kim.mckee@ges.gla.ac.uk), Department of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, East Quadrangle, University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QQ
PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT IS NOW FULL AND ALL SPEAKERS CONFIRMED (24/3).
Postgraduate and Early Career Symposium
University of Glasgow, Friday 12th June 2009
Governance has gained increasing conceptual currency across the social sciences. At the level of ideas, it captures important changes in the way in which society is governed, especially how networks and hierarchies have been structured and restructured in recent decades. Yet it also reflects something more fundamental. Namely, the long standing theoretical interest of the academic community in issues relating to power and rule in contemporary society. Traditionally, this has manifested itself in concerns about ‘who’ has power and ‘what’ are its effects. More recently, this has also encompassed a consideration of ‘how’ power is exercised and its underpinning discursive strategies.
An inherently contested concept, at the most general level governance refers to the strategies, tactics, procedures and processes deployed in order to control, shape, regulate or exercise authority over others at a variety of scales ranging from the micro to the macro level. It involves actors both within and beyond the state, and most importantly perhaps, affords a key role to subjects in their own self-government, as recent UK policy initiatives such as the Respect Agenda, Community Empowerment and Welfare-to-Work have illuminated only too clearly.
Building on last year’s event in Sheffield, the focus of this symposium is the exploration of theories of governance, and their implicit and explicit links with the concept of power.
Key themes include:
• Different theoretical approaches to exploring and critiquing developments in governance
• The limits of theory in analysing empirical data and the challenges this poses for research
• Critical insights and implications for the policy process
Confirmed plenary speaker:
John Flint, Professor of Housing and Urban Governance
Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, Sheffield Hallam University
This event is being funded by the Urban Studies journal. Attendance is FREE and both lunch and tea/coffee will be provided. To register or offer a workshop paper, please contact:
Kim McKee (kim.mckee@ges.gla.ac.uk), Department of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, East Quadrangle, University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QQ
PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT IS NOW FULL AND ALL SPEAKERS CONFIRMED (24/3).
EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS
ECHRN jiscmail launched
A new jiscmail has been launched for Early Career Housing Researchers, to enable them to share news and information, and engage in debates and discussions about key housing issues. To join the list visit the website: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/ECHRN or contact the list owners (kim.mckee@ges.gla.ac.uk; r.dobson00@leeds.ac.uk) for more information.
A new jiscmail has been launched for Early Career Housing Researchers, to enable them to share news and information, and engage in debates and discussions about key housing issues. To join the list visit the website: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/ECHRN or contact the list owners (kim.mckee@ges.gla.ac.uk; r.dobson00@leeds.ac.uk) for more information.
NEW ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS
McIntyre, Z. and McKee, K. (2008) “Governance and Sustainability in Glasgow: connecting symbolic capital and housing consumption to regeneration”, Area 40 (4): 481-490.
NEW TITLES FROM CIH
UK Housing Review published
The 2008/09 edition of the UK Housing Review - available to those renewing their HSA subscription at a good discount - is published on 10 December. As well as the usual range of statistics, this year's Review includes articles on the credit crunch, public spending, the private rented sector (following the Rugg review), 'green' housing and the review of council housing finance.
New titles - Ideas wanted!
Anyone with an idea for a title of a new book in the CIH Policy and Practice book series, joint with the HSA, should send it to the Series Editor, Peter Williams, at consultpwilliams@btinternet.com
The 2008/09 edition of the UK Housing Review - available to those renewing their HSA subscription at a good discount - is published on 10 December. As well as the usual range of statistics, this year's Review includes articles on the credit crunch, public spending, the private rented sector (following the Rugg review), 'green' housing and the review of council housing finance.
New titles - Ideas wanted!
Anyone with an idea for a title of a new book in the CIH Policy and Practice book series, joint with the HSA, should send it to the Series Editor, Peter Williams, at consultpwilliams@btinternet.com
News from CLG
• Housing care and support: A guide to integrating housing related support at a regional level: http://www.spkweb.org.uk/Subjects/Supporting_People_independent_review/Housing+Care+Support+A+guide+to+integrating+housing+related+support+at+a+regional+level.htm
• Changing Supporting people in England: Results from a pilot exercise: http://www.spkweb.org.uk/Subjects/Supporting_People_independent_review/Changing+Supporting+People+in+England+Results+from+a+pilot+exercise+-+Survey+Summary.htm
• Changing Supporting people in England: Results from a pilot exercise: http://www.spkweb.org.uk/Subjects/Supporting_People_independent_review/Changing+Supporting+People+in+England+Results+from+a+pilot+exercise+-+Survey+Summary.htm
NEWS FROM RESEARCH CENTRES
News from Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research
CCHPR has worked on a range of research projects over the past few months:
CCHPR has worked on a range of research projects over the past few months:
- Common Starting Points for Section 106 Affordable Housing Negotiations, published August 2008, was commissioned to improve the evidence on the dynamics of planning obligation negotiations for affordable housing contributions. The research was drawn upon by CLG to inform the development of the Community Infrastructure Levy. This report builds on our work around affordable housing and the planning system; we have also recently produced practice guidance on delivering affordable housing through Section 106 for the Welsh Assembly Government and for the East of England and London commuter belt.
- The report, Low Cost Home Ownership: Affordability, Risks and Issues, looks at how Housing Associations are responding to the market downturn. Further research will be published in the New Year looking more closely at the impacts of the economic downturn on regional LCHO markets and at how the major house builders are offering their own version of LCHO in an attempt to prop up sales.
- A series of eight papers, commissioned by the Housing Corporation draws upon new research as well as existing data to understand how demographic, spatial and economic changes will impact on future affordable housing demand. It examines the changing profile of residents, needs and aspirations, mobility, shared ownership, regional variations and the needs of BME groups.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
International Sociological Association Research Committee 43
International Housing Conference: Housing Assets, Housing People
Dpt. Urban Studies, University of Glasgow, September 1-4 2009.
‘Housing Assets, Housing People’ is themed around the global to local impacts of the credit crunch, sub-prime crisis and on-going housing problems visiting all parts of the world. How does it affect local people, communities, cities, nations and regions around the world, and what can be done to alleviate present problems and their future recurrence?
The conference is multi-disciplinary in content and should be of interest to academics but also highly policy relevant and therefore valuable to practitioners and policy makers. Abstracts for papers are invited from all social sciences disciplines (e.g. sociology, planning, economics, finance, political science, etc) through the website below on subjects relating to housing research, policy and practice.
Confirmed key note speakers include:
For further information about the upcoming ISA Housing Conference, please see the following link: http://www.gla.ac.uk/events/housing/
The second communication of the conference, early in the New Year, will provide details for abstract submission, delegate registration and early bird discount deadlines (see also the conference website).
If you have any questions about the conference, its scope, about possible papers, or if you would like to be involved in chairing or establishing workshops, please contact the conference chair at the address below. If you would like to register interest in attending the conference please email Mrs Tilly Wright at T.Wright@lbss.gla.ac.uk.
International Housing Conference: Housing Assets, Housing People
Dpt. Urban Studies, University of Glasgow, September 1-4 2009.
‘Housing Assets, Housing People’ is themed around the global to local impacts of the credit crunch, sub-prime crisis and on-going housing problems visiting all parts of the world. How does it affect local people, communities, cities, nations and regions around the world, and what can be done to alleviate present problems and their future recurrence?
The conference is multi-disciplinary in content and should be of interest to academics but also highly policy relevant and therefore valuable to practitioners and policy makers. Abstracts for papers are invited from all social sciences disciplines (e.g. sociology, planning, economics, finance, political science, etc) through the website below on subjects relating to housing research, policy and practice.
Confirmed key note speakers include:
- Professor Dan Immergluck, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
- Professor Duncan Maclennan, CBE, University of Ottawa and Chief Economist, Federal Government of Canada Department of Infrastructure and Cities – (As from 1 November 2008 Director of the Centre for Housing Research, University of St Andrews)
- Professor Yosuke Hirayama, University of Kobe, Japan.
For further information about the upcoming ISA Housing Conference, please see the following link: http://www.gla.ac.uk/events/housing/
The second communication of the conference, early in the New Year, will provide details for abstract submission, delegate registration and early bird discount deadlines (see also the conference website).
If you have any questions about the conference, its scope, about possible papers, or if you would like to be involved in chairing or establishing workshops, please contact the conference chair at the address below. If you would like to register interest in attending the conference please email Mrs Tilly Wright at T.Wright@lbss.gla.ac.uk.
EARLY CAREER FEATURE
Capturing the Castle: Tenant Governance in Social Housing Companies
Tenants now occupy a third of the directorships on the boards of new social housing companies and arms-length management organisations. In this paper I argue that tenant directors have been seen as the square pegs in the round holes of housing governance; they have been criticised for acting as representatives of a constituency, instead of taking responsibility for business development, and have been seen as an obstacle to a continued drive towards the professionalisation of boards.
In order to assess the impact of tenant directors in social housing companies, I adopted a theoretical framework for this research based on the concept of hegemony articulated by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe (2001). In this framework, housing organisations are viewed as systems of discourse under constant construction, in which competing social groups contest meanings, and strive to create the common sense definitions that will order and limit how participants view the role of governance. This process of negotiated construction takes place through relations of power and groups with less power, such as social housing tenants, can be excluded from the consensus and become seen as problematic. While hegemonic formations aim to unify a range of subject positions, and create the opportunities for the construction of shared meanings and dialogue, the process of defining the identity of social housing governance also creates antagonism as rival meanings are excluded and exiled groups are spurred into the construction of alternative identities.
Applying this framework to interpret my research with tenant directors, I found evidence that tenants bring a set of distinct values and strategies to social housing governance but can sometimes find themselves marginalised and excluded. My research suggests that tenant directors are motivated to take places on the board of housing companies by their desire to challenge paternalist attitudes in the sector or by a desire to acquire the knowledge and contacts that will enable them to make operational improvements to housing management. Tenant ambitions for a more influential role in housing governance have been a feature of resident participation in Britain since the late 1960s and the acquisition of executive authority has been the goal for many tenants organisations, a desire that surfaced in the debacle over the Conservative’s Tenants Choice programme, emerged from the squatting and the co-operative movement, and drove forward the development of tenant management organisations. Acquiring a role on the governing board is still conflated in some resident participation literature with attaining a level of community control, as the pinnacle of aspirations for involvement in decision-making.
The research indicates that tenant directors have brought impulses of democracy and accountability into the sphere of housing governance that have resulted in changes at an operational level in some housing organisations, leading to more participatory management styles and a clearer voice for tenants. These dynamics, however, have not meshed easily with the principles of the New Public Management and while some housing companies have been able to draw strength from the values tenant directors bring to the boardroom, there has also been outright conflict. The paper applies a methodology of critical discourse analysis to chart the development of a distinct tenant identity in the board room and to outline the elements of a strategic approach to housing governance that is specific to the tenant directors. Tenant directors appear to be keenly aware of the power imbalance they face, and to see themselves as the champions of a lived experience seen as undercutting the more technical and abstract discourse of senior housing executives and other governors. While many tenant directors have adapted their values to the dominant ethos of the board, making a contribution at an operational level without challenging the overall strategic direction, and while others are content to take a long view and to develop partnerships aimed at securing distant change, some tenant directors have found themselves isolated and outvoted in board decisions. This has given rise to perceptions that housing companies exemplify an order of discourse in which commercial interests and the values of social welfare and social control dominate, and has generated an antagonism that has allowed tenants to identify themselves as a united group whose interests are not reflected in the decision-making process. The paper concludes that board membership has enabled tenants to improve their status and influence in housing decision-making but at an operational, rather than a strategic level. Tenant aspirations for greater executive power, it seems, are not easily assimilated into the current values of social housing organisations.
References
Laclau, E. and Mouffe, C. (2001) “Hegemony and Socialist Strategy”. London, Verso.
Quintin Bradley
Associate Lecturer, Housing Studies
Leeds Metropolitan University
The full version of this paper has been published in Housing Studies 23 (6): 879-897.
Tenants now occupy a third of the directorships on the boards of new social housing companies and arms-length management organisations. In this paper I argue that tenant directors have been seen as the square pegs in the round holes of housing governance; they have been criticised for acting as representatives of a constituency, instead of taking responsibility for business development, and have been seen as an obstacle to a continued drive towards the professionalisation of boards.
In order to assess the impact of tenant directors in social housing companies, I adopted a theoretical framework for this research based on the concept of hegemony articulated by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe (2001). In this framework, housing organisations are viewed as systems of discourse under constant construction, in which competing social groups contest meanings, and strive to create the common sense definitions that will order and limit how participants view the role of governance. This process of negotiated construction takes place through relations of power and groups with less power, such as social housing tenants, can be excluded from the consensus and become seen as problematic. While hegemonic formations aim to unify a range of subject positions, and create the opportunities for the construction of shared meanings and dialogue, the process of defining the identity of social housing governance also creates antagonism as rival meanings are excluded and exiled groups are spurred into the construction of alternative identities.
Applying this framework to interpret my research with tenant directors, I found evidence that tenants bring a set of distinct values and strategies to social housing governance but can sometimes find themselves marginalised and excluded. My research suggests that tenant directors are motivated to take places on the board of housing companies by their desire to challenge paternalist attitudes in the sector or by a desire to acquire the knowledge and contacts that will enable them to make operational improvements to housing management. Tenant ambitions for a more influential role in housing governance have been a feature of resident participation in Britain since the late 1960s and the acquisition of executive authority has been the goal for many tenants organisations, a desire that surfaced in the debacle over the Conservative’s Tenants Choice programme, emerged from the squatting and the co-operative movement, and drove forward the development of tenant management organisations. Acquiring a role on the governing board is still conflated in some resident participation literature with attaining a level of community control, as the pinnacle of aspirations for involvement in decision-making.
The research indicates that tenant directors have brought impulses of democracy and accountability into the sphere of housing governance that have resulted in changes at an operational level in some housing organisations, leading to more participatory management styles and a clearer voice for tenants. These dynamics, however, have not meshed easily with the principles of the New Public Management and while some housing companies have been able to draw strength from the values tenant directors bring to the boardroom, there has also been outright conflict. The paper applies a methodology of critical discourse analysis to chart the development of a distinct tenant identity in the board room and to outline the elements of a strategic approach to housing governance that is specific to the tenant directors. Tenant directors appear to be keenly aware of the power imbalance they face, and to see themselves as the champions of a lived experience seen as undercutting the more technical and abstract discourse of senior housing executives and other governors. While many tenant directors have adapted their values to the dominant ethos of the board, making a contribution at an operational level without challenging the overall strategic direction, and while others are content to take a long view and to develop partnerships aimed at securing distant change, some tenant directors have found themselves isolated and outvoted in board decisions. This has given rise to perceptions that housing companies exemplify an order of discourse in which commercial interests and the values of social welfare and social control dominate, and has generated an antagonism that has allowed tenants to identify themselves as a united group whose interests are not reflected in the decision-making process. The paper concludes that board membership has enabled tenants to improve their status and influence in housing decision-making but at an operational, rather than a strategic level. Tenant aspirations for greater executive power, it seems, are not easily assimilated into the current values of social housing organisations.
References
Laclau, E. and Mouffe, C. (2001) “Hegemony and Socialist Strategy”. London, Verso.
Quintin Bradley
Associate Lecturer, Housing Studies
Leeds Metropolitan University
The full version of this paper has been published in Housing Studies 23 (6): 879-897.
NEW PUBLICATIONS FROM CLG
• The PFI initiative for HRA housing baseline report: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/pathfinderbaselinesummary
• Citizenship survey: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/citizenshipsurveyq12008-09
• Digital inclusion: http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/publications/research-stats/
• Julie Rugg's review of the PRS: http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/housing/1000701
• Citizenship survey: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/citizenshipsurveyq12008-09
• Digital inclusion: http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/publications/research-stats/
• Julie Rugg's review of the PRS: http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/housing/1000701
NEW PUBLICATIONS FROM CIH
CIH has recently published a book by Douglas Robertson titled Looking into Housing: a practical guide to housing research, which focuses on the dimensions of the research process. Further details can be found at: http://www.cih.org/publications/pub124.htm.
NEW ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS
Casey, R., Goudie, R and Reeve, K (2008) ‘Homeless Women in Public Spaces: Strategies of Resistance’, Housing Studies, Vol.23, No.6, 899-916.
RESEARCH NEWS
News from Northern Ireland Housing Executive
• The 2006 House Condition Survey has recently been published. It presents comprehensive findings on the region’s housing stock including dwelling tenure and age, unfitness, state of repair, SAP ratings, Fuel Poverty and how Northern Ireland’s housing stock performs under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. The report can be downloaded at: www.nihe.gov.uk/housing_conditions_survey_2006.pdf and www.nihe.gov.uk/2006_housing_conditions_survey_statistical_annex.pdf
• The Private Rented Sector Index 2007 has recently been published. Produced by the Housing Executive in partnership with PropertyNews.com and the University of Ulster, this report, which concentrates on the Belfast Metropolitan Area, provides the first detailed insight into the dynamics of the private rental market in Northern Ireland. Based on a sample of almost 5,400 rental transactions, the report provides analysis by location, property type and number of bedrooms, and also offers insights on average monthly rent. It is however an index which is in its early stages – other sources of information such as private sector Housing Benefit data will refine the index in the future.
• The Housing Research Bulletin for Autumn 2008 can be accessed at: www.nihe.gov.uk/housing_research_bulletin_autumn_2008.pdf. Highlights include the second and final phase of a project by Professor Chris Paris (University of Ulster) which examined the concentration, use and impact of second homes in Northern Ireland; and research on household energy consumption carried out among Housing Executive tenants as part of a larger project looking at energy consumption in three European States.
• The 2006 House Condition Survey has recently been published. It presents comprehensive findings on the region’s housing stock including dwelling tenure and age, unfitness, state of repair, SAP ratings, Fuel Poverty and how Northern Ireland’s housing stock performs under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. The report can be downloaded at: www.nihe.gov.uk/housing_conditions_survey_2006.pdf and www.nihe.gov.uk/2006_housing_conditions_survey_statistical_annex.pdf
• The Private Rented Sector Index 2007 has recently been published. Produced by the Housing Executive in partnership with PropertyNews.com and the University of Ulster, this report, which concentrates on the Belfast Metropolitan Area, provides the first detailed insight into the dynamics of the private rental market in Northern Ireland. Based on a sample of almost 5,400 rental transactions, the report provides analysis by location, property type and number of bedrooms, and also offers insights on average monthly rent. It is however an index which is in its early stages – other sources of information such as private sector Housing Benefit data will refine the index in the future.
• The Housing Research Bulletin for Autumn 2008 can be accessed at: www.nihe.gov.uk/housing_research_bulletin_autumn_2008.pdf. Highlights include the second and final phase of a project by Professor Chris Paris (University of Ulster) which examined the concentration, use and impact of second homes in Northern Ireland; and research on household energy consumption carried out among Housing Executive tenants as part of a larger project looking at energy consumption in three European States.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
