Political Barriers to Housebuilding in Britain

A Critical Case Study of Protectionism and its Industrial-Commercial Effects

Political Barriers to Housebuilding in Britain: A Critical Case Study of Protectionism and its Industrial-Commercial Effects

For decades, political barriers have hampered housebuilding in Britain. Governments have blocked urban expansion, stymied the introduction of new low-cost production methods, and restricted the supply of new housing to the market in other ways. The results have included artificially inflated house prices and numerous lower-income households excluded from owner-occupation.

This book analyzes political barriers to housebuilding as a form of political-economic protectionism: the dysfunctional equivalent of controls on foreign goods imports or minimum wage tariff barriers to labour market entry and employment.

Coverage:

1. Political barriers to housebuilding in Britain: critical overview

2. Greenbelt barriers to urban expansion

3. Housing output planning and quota fixing

4. Housing development taxes and quasi-taxes

5. New housing class discrimination

6. Controls on technological development and product innovation

7. The effects on the land market and new housing location

8. The effects on housebuilders and housing production

9. The effects on household consumer choice, house prices, and housing quality

10. The removal of political barriers to housebuilding