To what extent
THE UNIVERSITY OF HULL
SCHOOL OF POLITICS, PHILOSOPHY AND INTERNATION STUDIES being a dissertation submitted for the Degree of
Politics
To what extent were private rented sector policies in Britain and Germany between 1914 and the early 1970s consistent with the characteristics set by
Hall and Soskice’s ‘Varieties of Capitalist’ typology? A meso-level empirical comparison of predominantly rent control and regulation in the private rented sector between 1914 and the early 1970s in Britain and Germany
By
Hannah Bennett
May 2014
ABSTRACT
There is currently great diversity between the PRS in Germany and Britain. Vast amounts of literature has assessed the macroeconomics between the two countries; this dissertation will undertake a meso-level empirical comparison between Britain and
Germany’s macroeconomics using the VoC concept of LME and CME; and microeconomics based predominantly on rent control and regulation. The purpose of the meso-level comparison is to combine the macroeconomics of Britain and Germany with valuable microeconomic insights into policies, particularly rent control and regulation of the PRS between 1914 and the early 1970s, adding weight to burgeoning studies that test the original assumptions of the VoC model. The extent to which
Germany’s PRS policies were consistent with the characteristics set by Hall and
Soskice during the time period analysed is rather high. In contrast, the extent in which
PRS policies in Britain were consistent with the characteristics was varied. This dissertation demonstrates that it is a false dichotomy to assume that the PRS housing policy can be in the hands of either the state or the market at any one time, as housing policies involve a complex mix of state and market intervention.
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract ........................................................................................................................... i
Introduction
SCHOOL OF POLITICS, PHILOSOPHY AND INTERNATION STUDIES being a dissertation submitted for the Degree of
Politics
To what extent were private rented sector policies in Britain and Germany between 1914 and the early 1970s consistent with the characteristics set by
Hall and Soskice’s ‘Varieties of Capitalist’ typology? A meso-level empirical comparison of predominantly rent control and regulation in the private rented sector between 1914 and the early 1970s in Britain and Germany
By
Hannah Bennett
May 2014
ABSTRACT
There is currently great diversity between the PRS in Germany and Britain. Vast amounts of literature has assessed the macroeconomics between the two countries; this dissertation will undertake a meso-level empirical comparison between Britain and
Germany’s macroeconomics using the VoC concept of LME and CME; and microeconomics based predominantly on rent control and regulation. The purpose of the meso-level comparison is to combine the macroeconomics of Britain and Germany with valuable microeconomic insights into policies, particularly rent control and regulation of the PRS between 1914 and the early 1970s, adding weight to burgeoning studies that test the original assumptions of the VoC model. The extent to which
Germany’s PRS policies were consistent with the characteristics set by Hall and
Soskice during the time period analysed is rather high. In contrast, the extent in which
PRS policies in Britain were consistent with the characteristics was varied. This dissertation demonstrates that it is a false dichotomy to assume that the PRS housing policy can be in the hands of either the state or the market at any one time, as housing policies involve a complex mix of state and market intervention.
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract ........................................................................................................................... i
Introduction
Bibliography: Liberal Market Economy (LME) and a Coordinated Market Economy (CME) coined by Hall and Soskice (2001) whilst referring briefly to the work of Esping-Andersen (1990); and microeconomics based policies exercised on the private rented sector (PRS) Press, 2005), ch. 2, p. 29. consistent with VoC. The sections will be separated into time periods - 1914, inter-war period, World War Two, 1950s, 1960s and the early 1970s. 3 Such as Fitzpatrick & Stephens (2014), Hulse (2013) and Murie (1997).