Housing policies in Argentina under President Macri (2015–2019): a divided nation perpetuating path dependency

Abstract

This paper focuses on housing policy changes introduced by the administration of President Macri (2015–2019) which claimed to have made a U-turn in Argentinean policies. The study questions whether the housing policy changes introduced constitute a conjuncture with enduring consequences, or if the overall trajectory of the country’s housing events has only been temporarily disrupted by Macri’s administration. The paper contributes to current debates on path dependency studies in housing policies and a recent call for a more political focus in housing studies. It does so by analysing the reactive changes introduced during the conjuncture and their potential to create a new path in a politically divided nation. The results show how a dramatic turn in politics – from the extreme left to the right – can be ineffective in making enduring changes in policy paths. As more and more countries around the globe are facing an increasing polarisation and atomisation of domestic politics, the example of Argentina demonstrates that path dependency easily perpetuates in the housing systems of politically divided nations.