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Shifts along the Decommodification-Commodification Continuum: Housing Delivery and State Accumulation in Hong Kong

Author

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  • Adrienne La Grange

    (Department of Public and Social Administration, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, saalag@cityu.edu.hk)

  • Frederik Pretorius

    (Department of Real Estate and Construction, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, fredpre@hkucc.hku.hk)

Abstract

This paper engages with the discourse about commodification of housing in an Asian context and presents a methodology to explore shifts in the delivery of housing along the decommodification-commodification continuum. It reviews the extent to which the Hong Kong state has articulated an understanding of a continuum through its actions in the public and private housing sectors, and how it has acted developmentally in manipulating shifts along the continuum. It is found that, although Hong Kong had a large squatter population, the state controlled the commodification of squatter housing and also implemented an enormously successful and publically lucrative assisted home-ownership scheme, whose success in large part is explained by state management of the commodified nature of this tenure. The paper also reviews how the state's control of decommodified land through state ownership and leasehold alienation, and commodified housing in the private sector, led to the generation of large revenues to fund developmentalist activities. In all, unlike many other examples, the benefits of commodified housing in Hong Kong seem to have flowed in large measure from the private sector to the public sector; from this perspective, the paper offers another insight into the oft-neglected public management aspects of Hong Kong as a development case study.

Suggested Citation

  • Adrienne La Grange & Frederik Pretorius, 2005. "Shifts along the Decommodification-Commodification Continuum: Housing Delivery and State Accumulation in Hong Kong," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 42(13), pages 2471-2488, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:42:y:2005:i:13:p:2471-2488
    DOI: 10.1080/00420980500380386
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. David Ley & Sin Yih Teo, 2014. "Gentrification in Hong Kong? Epistemology vs. Ontology," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(4), pages 1286-1303, July.

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