Post-transitional housing systems: China and Russia compared

Abstract

Existing housing regime theories are established in the Western marketised contexts and have limited applicability in post-transitional housing systems. This paper compares Chinese and Russian housing systems since transition to obtain more understanding of post-transitional housing systems and the housing challenges facing these economies currently. A conceptual framework that investigates housing system operation through the interaction between housing market operations and housing policies in three spheres—production, exchange and consumption—is used in the analysis. The comparison shows that different strategies applied in transition, particularly regarding the government’s role, have contributed to different housing system outcomes in these two countries. It further supports existing research which shows that post-transitional housing systems are still transforming and are characterised by an essential deviation from Western marketised systems. Thus, housing systems in transitional economies are better understood from a more hybrid and dynamic view, rather than a single and static perspective.