Effectiveness of Housing Policy in Poland: The Impact of Public Interventions in a Macroeconomic Context

Aim: The paper aimed to present the situation in the housing market of the seven largest cities in Poland (Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk, Gdynia and Łódź) in the period of implementation of the Safe Credit 2% programme, with a particular emphasis on its impact on the dynamics of residential property prices. Methodology: The research employed a qualitative and quantitative approach based on reviewing the available literature on the subject and analysing statistical data. The data sources included, among others, reports from the Local Data Bank, the National Bank of Poland and AMRON-SARFiN. The authors applied a comparative approach, including a longitudinal (2010-2023) and a quarterly snapshot (Q1 to Q4 2023 compared to Q1 to Q4 q 2022) when considering the impact of the Safe Credit 2% programme. Results: The analysis showed that Safe Credit 2% had a significant impact on increasing housing affordability, however its short duration did not allow it to effectively stimulate the housing supply, resulting in a sharp increase in house prices. As a result, despite improving the housing situation for some groups in society, the overall availability of housing for those who did not meet the programme’s criteria deteriorated, such as middle-income households. Note that the increase in housing prices continued even after the programme ended, thus exacerbating the barriers in access to housing for average households. Implications and recommendations: The results indicated that an effective housing policy should simultaneously stimulate demand and supply. Due to the long-term construction process, short-term programmes such as Safe Credit 2% were insufficient to stimulate the housing supply effectively. It is recommended that long-term mechanisms and price stabilisation instruments are implemented to avoid sudden changes in the market. It is also important to conduct further research evaluating the effectiveness of the housing policies introduced. Originality/value: The article makes an important empirical contribution to analysing the impact of housing policy on housing prices and housing availability on Poland’s largest real estate markets. It provides detailed information on the effects of the Safe Credit 2% programme, which can be an important source of knowledge for researchers, policymakers and investors.

In the first 20 years of the 21st century, the social housing policy in Poland underwent many changes. They resulted from the lack of consistency in this respect and low patience of the ruling parties, which led to profound modifications in the approach to the housing policy practically with every new government. Until the implementation of the National Housing Programme (NHP), the housing policy in Poland was characterised by fragmented solutions, without any comprehensive approach to the issue in question. The aim of the article is to verify the effectiveness of the NHP, especially in terms of its social part, i.e., Mieszkanie Plus [Apartment Plus] package. The programme was described using the framework of theoretical assumptions of the social housing policy and the implementation of this policy in Poland after the year 2000. The author claims that the NHP is the first housing policy in Poland which applies a holistic approach and moves away from the practice of short-term, fragmented solutions. He recommends that those who are in power should exercise patience and refrain from introducing alterations after a very short period from the point of view of investment processes, as the implementation of such a complex housing policy as the NHP is planned for many years.

The article pertains to the issue of libertarian paternalism in relation to public housing policy in Poland. Libertarian paternalism is an idea developing on behavioral grounds, the main task of which is ensuring paternalistic protection and social care by the government and local self-government administrative organs, while at the same time maintaining the society's freedom of choice and increasing social-economic well-being. In the article, the issue of libertarian paternalism is described, a set of instruments of the described concept is implemented for purposes of working out solutions to problems connected with the housing policy of territorial self-government units in Poland (communes), and the proposed solutions validated in a post-socialist country. The work is of a conceptual-remedial character. Within it, selected tools in the scope of behaviorally informed interventions, serving to implement solutions that increase the effectiveness, efficiency and economy of operations of public organizations under conditions of dynamic decentralizing changes, have been indicated. The most important conclusions arising from the deliberations carried out make it possible to look at housing policy in Poland through a prism of a modern market economy.

The subject of this paper is the issue of restrictions related to the democracy of housing policies within the context of welfare state reforms. The paper aims to provide answers to the following questions: Is housing policy affected by political discursive practices? If so, what effect do they have on the democracy of housing policy, particularly housing policy placed against the background of a welfare state subject to changes and reforms? An example is provided in the form of the housing policy in Poland for the period 1989–2014. The theoretical approach used in the study is based on the concept of deliberative democracy. The analysis verifies the research hypothesis according to which housing policy in Poland lacks the deliberative discursive practices which constitute an instrument of democratic housing policy.

This study examines Indonesia's challenges in meeting its citizens' housing needs amidst globalisation and economic liberalisation. The research aims to identify effective housing policies from developed and developing countries that can be adapted to the Indonesian context. Through a comparative analysis of housing policies in North Western Europe, the United States, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia, the study explores different approaches to addressing housing affordability and accessibility. Findings reveal that developed countries leverage robust institutions and capital resources to implement tax and subsidy mechanisms, while developing countries face limitations due to financial constraints and low tax revenues. The study suggests that Indonesia can adopt successful policies from developed nations, such as targeted subsidies and incentivising private sector participation, while tailoring them to align with Indonesian values and socioeconomic conditions. This study examines Indonesia's challenges in meeting its citizens' housing needs amidst globalisation and economic liberalisation. The research aims to identify effective housing policies from developed and developing countries that can be adapted to the Indonesian context. Through a comparative analysis of housing policies in North Western Europe, the United States, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia, the study explores different approaches to addressing housing affordability and accessibility. Findings reveal that developed countries leverage robust institutions and capital resources to implement tax and subsidy mechanisms, while developing countries face limitations due to financial constraints and low tax revenues. The study suggests that Indonesia can adopt successful policies from developed nations, such as targeted subsidies and incentivising private sector participation, while tailoring them to align with Indonesian values and socioeconomic conditions. This study reveals key differences in how developed and developing countries approach housing policy. While developed nations leverage strong institutions and significant capital for tax and subsidy programs to improve affordability and access, developing countries like Indonesia face limitations due to financial constraints and lower tax revenues. The research contributes valuable comparative analysis and policy recommendations for Indonesia, suggesting the adoption of targeted subsidies and incentivising private sector participation tailored to the country's unique context. Ultimately, it highlights the need for context-specific solutions to address housing challenges in a globalised world.

Heywood , F., Oldman , C. and Means , R. Housing and Home in Later Life . Buckingham : Open University Press , 2002 . £16.99 and £50.00 , 185pp . ISBN 0335201695 (pbk), 0335201709 (hbk) . This book is a welcome addition to the interesting and thought-provoking Rethinking Ageing series. A key theme is the interchange of ideas between disciplines: not only can ideas from the social gerontological literature inform an understanding of housing in later life, but a housing and home perspective can similarly enrich studies of ageing. The book is therefore of relevance to those with an interest in both fields, whether from an academic or professional background. The central argument of the book is that a range of housing and community care policies and practices have been, and continue to be, based on medical and/or ageist models of old age and on ideas of the house as a physical structure rather than as an ‘experiential’ home. This, at least in part, the authors argue, reflects the fact that the views of older people themselves have been largely ignored. As a result, even those policies and practices that are well-intentioned can serve to discriminate against older people, reinforce ideas of dependency, and fail to meet their housing needs. The book therefore calls for alternative ways of conceptualising and theorising housing, home and later life, including the incorporation of lay perspectives, on the grounds that this will lead to a better understanding of the individual decisions and experiences of older people themselves as well as provide a foundation for more effective housing policy in the future. The authors argue that social models of ageing and disability, which conceive of old age and disability as social constructions, could usefully be applied to ideas of housing and later life. Similarly, after exploring the concept of housing need from a range of perspectives, including those of national government, local housing agencies and older people themselves, they highlight some interesting gaps between the priorities of service funders, service providers and service users, and argue therefore that we need to try and bring these together. We particularly welcome this call for a linkage of academic theory, lay perspectives and housing policy. What is disappointing, then, is that while the importance of the user perspective is a recurrent and well-addressed theme throughout the book, the authors fail explicitly to link social theories of ageing and disability to the material in Part 2. We would have liked to see them take a similar lead here. There are other problems with the structure of the book. Like all others in the series, it falls into two main parts. Part 1 is concerned with what the authors call the ‘broad, general issues’, while Part 2 presents the findings of empirical research on topics in which the authors have developed previous expertise. We were dismayed at the lack of new research material in this latter section (not least because this work has been reported extensively elsewhere). Moreover, the quite lengthy presentation of the empirical research here contrasts markedly with the rather superficial discussions of the empirical and theoretical academic literature cited in Part 1. For example, the overview of the distinctive features of later life which have a bearing on housing and home is very ‘thin’ and barely referenced at all. The discussion of ‘contemporary’ debates within disability studies could be a little more up to date, to include current calls by some commentators for a reformulation of the social model of disability to include issues of impairment and pain, for instance. Similarly, while an exciting new literature is emerging on the relationship between housing, health and wellbeing, the authors have chosen to stick with the rather dated ‘bad housing causes bad health’ literature. They ignore the research that highlights the psycho-social effects of unaffordable (in terms of inability to meet mortgage and/or repair, maintenance and adaptation costs) housing, and, although arguing that good housing can be good for health and wellbeing, they do not cite the evidence to support this (even though it does exist!). Yet these literatures are all crucial to the main arguments of the book. Our overall opinion of the book, then, is that while it provides a useful introduction to the topic of housing, home and later life from both an academic and policy perspective, we cannot help but feel disappointed that the combined experience and record of three such prolific writers in this field has not led to a more imaginative discussion of the issues. With our own combined academic interest in both housing and social gerontology, we found that the book didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know, and in fact raised more questions than it answered. The book probably works better for students and professionals new to these debates. While whetting the more informed reader's appetite (which the book undeniably does) might be viewed as a good thing, it also makes it a sometimes frustrating read.

The stirrings of reform or more of the same? U.S. Housing Policy, Politics, and Economics shares a stark and urgent message. With a new president in the White House and the economy emerging from its peak pandemic lows, the time is right for transformative federal housing legislation—but only if Congress can transcend partisan divides. Drawing on nearly a century of legislative and policy data, this briefing for scholars and professionals quantifies the effects of Democratic or Republican control of the executive and legislative branches on housing prices and policies nationwide. It exposes the lasting consequences of Congress’ more than a decade of failure to pass meaningful housing laws and makes clear just how narrow the current window for action is. Equal parts analysis and call to arms, U.S. Housing Policy, Politics, and Economics is essential reading for everyone who cares about affordable, accessible housing.

Owing to the complex links between housing and care, placing housing policy in the context of long-term care (LTC) policies is difficult; this leads to a limited number of studies on this topic. However, the practical relevance of links between these two policy fields is self-evident. To partially challenge a separation between housing and LTC policies in research, we apply the concept of ‘housing as an infrastructure of care’, as defined by Power and Mee (Housing Studies, 35(3), 2020). The article conceptualises and contextualises how housing policies interplay with LTC policy instruments by contributing to a similar outcome. After discussing the theoretical implications, the article provides an empirical illustration of this argument through a comparative housing analysis of two carefully selected cases: Austria and the Czech Republic. LTC policies in these two countries are based on remarkably similar cash instruments, notably implemented in contrasting housing policy contexts. As these cash benefits lead to similar outcomes in encouraging informal care provided chiefly by families, the analysis seeks to understand how different housing policies matter for these outcomes. The analysis discusses how particular housing policy instruments may create uneven care capacities.

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the impact of housing knowledge, housing challenges and housing policy on the renting intention and satisfaction of young people.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey helped collect data from young people in the study area, which were then analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 27 software. A descriptive analysis and the Cronbach’s alpha test were adopted to analyse the data. The confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a significant relationship between housing knowledge, housing challenges and housing policy and renting intention and satisfaction.FindingsThe overall findings revealed that most young people intend to own a home one day, and a minority of them decided to continue renting. The findings suggest that there is a significant relationship between housing knowledge and housing intention. However, housing challenges and housing policies do not appear to impact renting intentions. On the other hand, housing knowledge and housing challenges were found to be associated with housing satisfaction, while housing policy does not show a significant relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThis study, however, poses limitations as it uses a limited model and location and involves only a cross-sectional study. Future studies can use the methodology used in this study to conduct further investigations on housing intention and satisfaction in other regions of the country, thereby validating the findings of this study.Practical implicationsIn terms of practical implications, this study has made a valuable contribution to the field of housing literature by shedding light on two crucial elements, namely, housing intention and satisfaction, which have been understudied. Understanding the determinants of housing intention and satisfaction is vital in efforts to implement appropriate policy reforms.Social implicationsFindings from this study offer valuable insight related to managerial and practical implications, with the former implicating a need to prioritise initiatives that enhance renters’ housing knowledge. Implementing educational programmes and providing accessible resources can empower renters with a better understanding of the rental process and other important housing information.Originality/valueThis paper is relevant because it provides a guideline for policymakers to initiate regulations concerning housing and implement appropriate policy reforms. This study can also help housing providers develop more affordable housing that meets the needs of young people currently renting because most have expressed their housing intentions. Understanding housing intention and satisfaction determinants is vital to implementing appropriate policy reforms.

Subject. The paper examines the impact of regional housing policy on the transformation of urban agglomeration space. Purpose. Identification of patterns, forms, methods and features of transformation of housing in the socio-economic space of urban agglomerations. Methodology. The research was carried out on the basis of methods of spatial and morphological analysis of regional socio-economic development, logical and graphic modeling. Results. In the work, the logic, character and tools of housing policy used to form new growth poles in the area of urban agglomerations were revealed on the basis of systematization of theoretical and practical approaches to the activation of socio-economic development of territories. As a result of the analysis of the mechanism of formation of new centers (cores) of economic activity of the regional space, a graphic model of distribution of centripetal and centrifugal forces of urbanization in relation to housing policy, which stimulates the socio-economic development of urban agglomeration in the process of its growth by building up the regional periphery with modern housing and modernization of the housing stock was constructed. Conclusion. The results achieved in this work are part of the organizational and methodological support of housing policy in the region, aimed at modernizing its socio-economic space through targeting polycentric model of urban agglomeration development. The findings, approaches, classifications, algorithms and generalizations obtained, which are considered as efforts to increase the toolkit of housing policy of a region, make it possible to design the development of its space with set parameters, such as: the structure of the region’s economy, investment attractiveness, social and economic potential, the level of infrastructure development, the degree of urbanization of the territory, the share of economically active population, the reproduction of human capital, comfort of life, availability and accessibility of housing, and population influx.KeywordsUrban agglomerationRegional spaceGrowth poleHousing policySocio-economic developmentUrbanizationJEL CodesO18R21R28R58

The need for housing is the basic physiological need of a person. The level of satisfaction of housing needs corresponds to the degree of socio-economic development of the given society. The basic criteria are the quality of housing, the availability of housing, the type of ownership, the possibility of purchasing own housing, the financial support and the financial possibilities of the individual / household. A suitable market environment created by the state is also a prerequisite for satisfying the need for housing. The mission of the state is to create an appropriate market environment that combines economic, social and environmental factors. This is the concept of sustainable housing. The analysis focuses on Slovakia and deals in more detail with responsibility and the position of self-government/municipalities in the context of Slovak housing policy. The paper is processed by using a wide scale of the scientific methods and procedures. The first part is based on preparation and explanation of key terms, such as the housing policy, concept of sustainable housing and state housing policy in Slovakia. The paper was elaborated on the basis of a study of related legislation, in particular the Act on the State Fund for Housing Development and the Concept of State Housing Policy - the State Document for the Housing Area. Methodology contains of identification of research assumptions, as well as methods and sources used in the paper. Results part consists of the main findings and is prepared by using a comparative and causal analysis. Statistical data was used to analyse the current state of housing in Slovakia. Prospects housing development in Slovakia are developed by the resulting trends and processing the statistics and are presented at the end of paper.

The aim of this paper is to analyse the current housing policy in Poland in terms of its influence on spatial order. The author discusses the relationship between housing policy and spatial order, as well as housing policy instruments that can contribute to shaping spatial order. The article presents the results of a quantitative study of documents and a qualitative study of selected housing complexes in Katowice, Warsaw and Wrocław treated as an outcome of the general state housing policy.

Partindo de uma perspectiva neoliberal e sob um discurso moderno de descentralização estatal e participação da sociedade civil, o Estado português tem utilizado parcerias com o setor cooperativo nas suas políticas habitacionais. Frente à visibilidade alcançada por estas políticas recentes na Comunidade Européia, bem como a aproximação que vem ocorrendo entre Portugal e Brasil para troca de experiências neste campo, este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar como estas políticas portuguesas têm se desenvolvido e quais suas implicações para a população brasileira. Para isso, investigaram-se dois projetos de realocação de pessoas carentes em bairros sociais. A metodologia utilizada foi de caráter qualitativo, baseada em pesquisa documental, além de entrevistas e observações in loco. Os resultados apontam para políticas habitacionais bastante desarticuladas e, em consequência disso, pouco efetivas. Os casos estudados corroboram o argumento de que, apesar do discurso, o governo assumiu na realidade uma posição de transferência das responsabilidades para a sociedade civil por meio das cooperativas de habitação, e que a criação de bairros sociais acaba por contribuir para o aumento da estigmatização e do preconceito. Além disso, enfatizam a importância de uma ação intersetorial nas políticas habitacionais.

Young-adult single-person households have emerged as a socially vulnerable group facing housing instability in Korea. To improve insufficient housing policies for this social group, we must evaluate existing policies and provide feedback in a timely manner. In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of housing welfare programs targeting young adults, considering the increase in the supply of public rental housing for them. This study estimated the effect of residing in public rental housing on the intention to achieve homeownership and the mediation effect of residential satisfaction by employing structural equation modeling. The results confirm the following findings. First, when controlling households’ sociodemographic conditions, satisfaction with housing conditions is higher in public rental housing than in private rental housing. Second, high residential satisfaction among young-adult single-person households residing in public rental housing has a significant positive effect on their intention to achieve homeownership through high satisfaction with housing conditions. These findings suggest that public rental housing is an effective housing policy and a stepping stone toward homeownership for young-adult single-person households. This study concludes by emphasizing the necessity for a public rental housing policy considering these policy outcomes.

This paper aims to determine the comprehensive actions (which require interdisciplinary cooperation) to optimally prepare a high-quality housing environment for the growing population of seniors in Poland in the context of the current housing situation and the need to foster sustainable development. The paper outlines the determinants and specific actions to be taken to implement an effective senior housing policy in Poland. The study is based on the analysis of data obtained from the CSO on the senior housing environment, publications which study the expectations of the growing senior population and on the author’s own research conducted in 2024 among seniors residing in urban and rural areas. The results are a set of recommendations to facilitate the implementation of a rational housing policy targeted at the needs of seniors.