Housing Policies and Welfare Systems: The Case of Spain in the Context of Southern European Countries

Abstract

The housing policy in Spain, similar in many respects to that of other Southern European countries, should be conceived as an expression of the welfare system in which both the state and the family and civil society are involved. What characterizes this policy is the relevance of the family institution in facilitating access to housing, as well as a scarce public intervention on the housing market. The most commonly used instruments are indirect ones, such as tax relief, with socially regressive effects. These conditions require intervention by family solidarity in facilitating access to housing or simply in guaranteeing accommodation for those who do not have the economic capacity to access an independent dwelling.