Abstract
The relative size of owner-occupied housing sectors varies substantially among Western industrialized societies and has often been associated with levels of economic growth and affluence. However, national wealth is a very poor indicator of social propensities towards home ownership (Schmidt, 1989) and the proportion of owner-occupiers in a given society tells us relatively little about the function of home ownership within a housing or social system. Moreover, while the debate on home ownership has a rather undifferentiated concept of housing tenure, significant differences exist in the organization or experience of home ownership regarding ways of becoming an owner-occupier, its timing, housing quality, associated rights and advantages, and social and spatial characteristics of areas where households settle (Harloe and Maartjens, 1983; Ruonavaara, 1993). The concept of ‘homeowner society’ applied so far in this book concerns a particular model based on experiences in the economically liberal, English speaking countries. In these countries there appears to be some consistency in state approaches to the promotion of home ownership, on one side, and a cultural ideal of home ownership consumption on the other, with the tenure achieving an iconic status.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2008 Richard Ronald
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ronald, R. (2008). Anglo-Saxon Homeowner Societies. In: The Ideology of Home Ownership. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230582286_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230582286_5
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-54210-9
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-58228-6
eBook Packages: Palgrave Social & Cultural Studies CollectionSocial Sciences (R0)