Lewis F Abbott

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

For years, artificial political barriers have hampered housebuilding in Britain. Governments at national and local level have regularly blocked urban expansion, stymied new low-cost production methods, and restricted the supply of new housing to the market in other ways. They have thereby raised house prices and excluded many lower-income households from owner-occupation.

This study analyzes political barriers to housebuilding as a special form of political-economic protectionism – the dysfunctional equivalent or analogue of restrictions on foreign goods imports or official minimum wage tariff barriers to labour market entry and employment.

The book will interest anyone concerned about supply shortages and the high cost of good new homes – not just in Britain but in other countries also.

Contents:

1. Political Barriers to Housebuilding in Britain: A Critical Overview

2. Greenbelt Barriers to Urban Expansion

3. Housing Output Planning & Quota Fixing

4. Housing Development Taxes & Quasi-Taxes

5. New Housing Class Discrimination

6. Controls on Technological Development & Product Innovation

7. The Effects on the Land Market & New Housing Location

8. The Effects on Housebuilders & Housing Production

9. The Effects on Household Consumer Choice, House Prices, & Housing Quality

10. The Removal of Political Barriers to Housebuilding