The Human Right to Housing in the Face of Land Policy and Social Citizenship

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxi

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Michael Kolocek

   Pages 1-6

3. Housing, Rights, Land Policy, and Global Social Citizenship

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 7-7

      PDF

   2. The Monitoring of Human Rights

      • Michael Kolocek

      Pages 9-40

   3. Discourses on Housing

      • Michael Kolocek

      Pages 41-76

   4. Land Policy Meets Social Citizenship on a Global Level

      • Michael Kolocek

      Pages 77-118

4. The Discourse on the Human Right Housing Under the Monitoring System of the ICESCR

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 119-119

      PDF

   2. Changing Views: Housing in the Past Four Decades

      • Michael Kolocek

      Pages 121-165

   3. Comparative Discussion: Interpretations of the Human Right to Housing

      • Michael Kolocek

      Pages 167-211

   4. Conclusion

      • Michael Kolocek

      Pages 213-221

5. Back Matter

   Pages 223-269

   PDF

This book explores the human right to housing, presenting the findings of a global discourse analysis to analyse the right to housing from the perspective of theories on land policy and social citizenship. The book concludes that planners and policy makers will not be able to completely fulfil the human right to housing. For that reason, the book presents a theory of de-commodification of land use that highlights the meaning of land use rights for people affected by inadequate housing.

Students and scholars across a range of disciplines, including social policy, global social policy, human rights law, discourse theory, and sociology will find this study of interest.

• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
• Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
• Housing policy
• Land commodification
• Homelessness

“Housing is a human right. This extensive study of states’ responses to UN housing rights reporting is groundbreaking. It clearly charts gradual global interpretations of housing as a social policy issue. However, it also shows that there is no global consensus on which form of housing tenure is best. This has major implications for global land use policies, especially where titling and registration approaches are advanced as remedies to inadequate housing. The book makes an invaluable contribution to contemporary studies of housing, housing rights, land use policies and the development of global housing policy norms.” (Padraic Kenna, National University of Ireland, Galway)

“This book is a timely contribution to the global discussion of housing rights. Appearing shortly after the Habitat III conference raised the housing issue to the forefront of public policy across the world, this important book directs attention to the UN’s International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights whereby housing rights have been anchored in international law. Adopting an innovative approach, Michael Kolocek brilliantly directs the spotlight to the implementation arena. Through discourse analysis of the progress reports which each signatory to the Covenant (almost all UN member states) must submit, Kolocek uncovers the underlying perceptions of housing rights. The findings show crucial differences in what “housing rights” imply in different countries, and how conceptions have changed over time.  Grounded in a comprehensive survey of current knowledge, this book adds an all-important layer of evidence to enlighten researchers and policymakers worldwide.” (Rachelle Alterman, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa)

• School of Spatial Planning, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany

  Michael Kolocek

Michael Kolocek is Research Assistant at the Chair of Land Policy, Land Management, and Municipal Geoinformation, School of Spatial Planning, TU Dortmund University, Germany.

Policies and ethics