
Social Housing in Transition
Comparative Perspectives on Privatisation in the UK and China
Yiqian Wang(Author)
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Will be published approx. on 30. June 2026
Book
Hardback
156 pages
978-1-041-27349-3 (ISBN)
Description
This book compares social housing privatisation in the UK and China, revealing convergent housing outcomes despite contrasting political systems. Both countries show weakened social housing, redefined as financial assets, highlighting shared policy failures and the need to rethink market-driven reforms globally.
It examines global neoliberal influences, city-level implementation in Greater Manchester and Hangzhou through comparative case studies that reveal the rise of financialisation, state-local entrepreneurism, and the limitations of market-driven reforms. By offering an understanding of how neoliberal policies transform housing governance and challenge dominant theories and combining empirical evidence with fresh theoretical insights, the book equips scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to rethink housing strategies, assess the consequences of privatisation, and explore alternatives for delivering affordable, secure housing in an era of global market pressures.
This book will appeal to professionals and researchers as well as policymakers in the fields of housing studies, urban studies, public policy, political economy, and comparative politics. While its theoretical contributions target academics, the case-study focus will also make it relevant to practitioners designing or evaluating housing policy.
It examines global neoliberal influences, city-level implementation in Greater Manchester and Hangzhou through comparative case studies that reveal the rise of financialisation, state-local entrepreneurism, and the limitations of market-driven reforms. By offering an understanding of how neoliberal policies transform housing governance and challenge dominant theories and combining empirical evidence with fresh theoretical insights, the book equips scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to rethink housing strategies, assess the consequences of privatisation, and explore alternatives for delivering affordable, secure housing in an era of global market pressures.
This book will appeal to professionals and researchers as well as policymakers in the fields of housing studies, urban studies, public policy, political economy, and comparative politics. While its theoretical contributions target academics, the case-study focus will also make it relevant to practitioners designing or evaluating housing policy.
Reviews / Votes
'I've known this work for a long time, and it's impressive how clearly it brings the UK and China together to rethink social housing privatisation, blending sharp theory with grounded evidence and real policy insight.'Haitao Du, School of Geography, South China Normal University, China
'This is an important contribution to discussion of the role of the market in social housing provision, both now and in the future. Examining this through the lens of comparative analysis of convergent trends in China and the UK makes for an interesting and thoughtful perspective '
Steve Moseley, Executive Director Governance & Transformation, L&Q, UK
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Academic and Undergraduate Advanced
Illustrations
4 s/w Tabellen, 4 s/w Zeichnungen, 5 s/w Photographien bzw. Rasterbilder, 9 s/w Abbildungen
4 Tables, black and white; 4 Line drawings, black and white; 5 Halftones, black and white; 9 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-041-27349-3 (9781041273493)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Yiqian Wang
Social Housing in Transition
Comparative Perspectives on Privatisation in the UK and China
E-Book
approx. 06/2026
1st Edition
Routledge
€60.49
Available for download

Yiqian Wang
Social Housing in Transition
Comparative Perspectives on Privatisation in the UK and China
E-Book
approx. 06/2026
1st Edition
Routledge
€60.49
Available for download
Person
Yiqian Wang got her doctorate degree from the School for Business and Society, University of York, UK. Now she is an early-career scholar based at Nanjing Agricultural University, China, with research interests centering on social housing, housing financialisation, welfare, and urban studies.
Content
Introduction. Part I: Social Housing in a Global Context. 2. The Role of Social Housing. 3. Social Housing in the UK. 4. Social Housing in China. Part II: Comparative Housing Theory. 5. Convergence School. 6. Divergence School. 7. New Convergence School. 8. Conceptualising Social Housing Privatisation. 9. Social Housing Privatisation in Greater Manchester and Hangzhou. 10. A Comparative Discussion. Part III: Revisiting Social Housing. 11. Social Housing, Neoliberalism, Globalisation, and Entrepreneurism. 12. Final Word.