Originally published in 1990, this title asks, what has been the role of the state vis-à-vis housing policy in developing countries over the last few years? To date there had been no significant attempt to deal comprehensively with state intervention in the housing market in the developing world, most of the literature choosing to concentrate either on specific country studies or on single issues.

This book attempts an analysis of comparative housing policy – the study of how, why, and to what effect different governments pursue particular courses of action or inaction. Two main strategies can be identified – the demand-side and the supply-side. Policy makers opt for subsidies either to builders (whether they are formal or informal, profit making or non-profit making) or to consumers, or for a combination of both. This book analyses the consequences of those decisions in a wide cross-section of developing countries. Its conclusions will interest all those studying housing in the developing world.