Policy transfer of choice-based lettings to Britain and Australia: How extensive? How faithful? How appropriate? (draft version)

Within the burgeoning of literature on policy transfer there has been substantial emphasis on areas such as \u91welfare reform\u92 and labour market policies, with explanations ranging from the pivotal role of policy entrepreneurs and their networks to the reconfiguration of historically contingent institutional arrangements. This paper seeks to contribute to this literature by exploring the case of choice based lettings (CBL), a supposedly \u91consumerist\u92 approach to allocating social housing. Originally developed in the Netherlands around 1990, CBL has subsequently attracted widespread interest in other developed countries as a quasi-market technique aimed at modifying the command and control style of operation traditional in this sector. In particular, we examine the implications of attempting to import the CBL concept to two different social housing contexts in the UK and Australia. Firstly, we ask why the CBL model has been found attractive in these jurisdictions and the extent to which it has been implemented in practice. Secondly, we explore the extent to which the model can be effectively installed and operated within policy and institutional contexts which differ substantially from the country of origin. Here, we ask whether ensuring compatibility with established legal and regulatory frameworks has rendered the import of CBL into the UK an empty gesture. Similarly, we analyse the obstacles to be overcome in reconciling CBL with the existing social housing context in Australia. And, thirdly, we consider the broader implications of the CBL case in relation to the appropriateness of international transfer of social policies across jurisdictions discussed in the literature

The old and the new: Comparing strategic positioning of third sector housing organisations in the Netherlands and Australia

Housing Quality and Process InnovationOTB Research Institute for the Built Environmen