Comparative analysis of Scandinavian and Ethiopian approaches to housing with special emphasis on housing tenure and housing finance

Abstract

Housing constitutes the major part of all cities. Its development or lack of it affects all urban dwellers. In fact, .housing condition is the measure of the success and failure of most urban policies. Two of the' most important issues in housing are housing tenure and housing finance. The mode of production, owning and disposal of houses involves the making of policies regarding property rights and the establishment of institutions that facilitate implementation. This paper deals with a comparative analysis of the policies and their rsesults in Scandinavian countries and in Ethiopia. The study shows that there are significant differences in policy formulation and implementation. In the case of Ethiopia anomalies are observed between objectives of policies and the instruments used to effect them. In some cases innovative approaches are initiated but are not followed through. It is hoped the issues raised in this paper will contribute to the debate on housing. Furthermore, it will show the merits of comparative analysis, which are very much neglected in housing studies.