The Theoretical Model of Polish Housing Policy between 2002 and 2016

Abstract

Abstract Research background: This paper attempts to introduce the concept of Polish housing policy and define its course. Purpose: The main aim of the paper is to attribute the theoretical model of Polish housing policy and its goals and summarize the practical instruments and programs implemented between 2002 and 2016 to try to answer the question in what way the state was helping households to fulfil housing needs. Research methodology: The research method used in the paper was a query of Polish and foreign literature of housing policy models, goals and instruments in the theoretical part, in the practical part (main research) is the monograph analysis of Polish housing policy between 2002 and 2016 including: housing resource, housing supply and change of their structure in the examined timeline, availability of apartments, supply of mortgages and connections with the availability of apartments and macroeconomic situation measured by the yearly GDP per capita. Results: Theoretical and practical solutions were made. Polish housing policy can be defined as a wide ranging selective model according to Ghekiere (2009) division, the empirical analysis of the adopted solutions risks – marginalization of social housing and substantial impact of the financial sector (banking and mortgages) on housing which may be negative in the case of an economic crisis. Novelty: The value of this paper is a contribution to the debate on defining a theoretical model of housing policy and an explanation of the changes in housing in Poland from 2002–2016.