Housing in the welfare state: today's challenges in accessing decent housing

Abstract

a severe housing crisis, primarily characterized by issues of affordability. This situation significantly undermines the social cohesion and integration necessary to sustain the broader economic progress being made. This article provides key explanatory factors for the current state of the housing crisis in Spain, emphasizing its severity due to the longstanding weakness of housing policy within the framework of the Welfare State. It examines the multiple consequences and manifestations of this weakness, including the lack of robust public infrastructure, a heavy reliance on the volatility of the free market to address social needs, significant mismatches between housing demand and supply capacity, and a growing incidence of residential and social vulnerability in various forms. In response to this situation, public administrations are adopting measures that are mostly palliative in nature and aimed at short-term impact, while simultaneously developing strategies that are unlikely to yield results before the medium or long term. Among the most debated short-term measures is rent control, intended to contain inflation in the rental market and address the widening gap between housing costs and household incomes. This article presents the particular case of Catalonia, which has implemented rent control regulations over the past year, and highlights some of the emerging consequences, acknowledging that the limited duration of implementation necessarily constrains any definitive conclusions. Finally, the article outlines five policy proposals aimed at guiding the development of a strategic framework that ensures future housing policy is both stable and resilient.