Public Housing, National Resilience, and Neoliberalism: Rethinking Israel’s Public Housing Policy

The twenty-first century has seen a revival of public housing construction in many countries around the globe, including some, like Hong Kong, with strong neoliberal economies. How can one explain this in an era of strong neoliberal economies worldwide? And what interests lie behind that revival? Using the conceptual framework of resilience, this study provides a critical examination of changes in public housing policy in Israel during three national crises: the mass immigrations of the 1950s and 1990s, and the country's largest-ever social protest, in 2011. The research findings show that in each crisis the government responded differently to establish resilience and to create a new equilibrium. They also shed light on how changes in the dominant political economy affect a policy that benefits disadvantaged people such as public housing tenants. The resilience framework provides a new vantage point for understanding changes in public housing policy in a neoliberal era. The findings reveal the limited impact of legislative arrangements on marginalized groups and the inability of the legislature and judiciary to correct structural and institutional distortions under a neoliberal economy, despite some small successes. Additionally, the findings reveal the limited impact under neoliberalism of social-change National Resilience, Politics and Society activities and public protests like those of the summer of 2011 on policies benefitting the disadvantaged. Although the study focuses on Israel, it is relevant to other neoliberal societies facing a housing affordability crisis and having to find housing solutions for their most disadvantaged populations. (מתוך המאמר‎)