Risk, commercialism and social purpose: Repositioning the English housing association sector

Originally seen as the ‘third arm’ of UK housing policy, the independent, not-for-profit housing association sector had long been seen as effective in ‘filling the gap’ where the state or market were unable to provide for households in need. Since the 1980s in particular, successive governments had viewed housing associations in favourable terms as efficient, semi-autonomous social businesses, capable of leveraging significant private funding. By 2015, in contrast, central government had come to perceive the sector as inefficient, bureaucratic and wasteful of public subsidy. Making use of institutional theory, this paper considers this paradigm shift and examines the organisational responses to an increasingly challenging operating environment. By focusing, in particular, on large London housing associations, the paper analyses their strategic decision-making to address the opportunities and threats presented. The paper argues that in facing an era of minimal subsidy, low security and high risk, the 2015 reforms represent a critical juncture for the sector. Housing organisations face a stark dilemma about whether to continue a strategy of ‘profit for purpose’ or to embrace an unambiguously commercial ethos. The article contends that the trajectory of decision-making (although not unidirectional) leads ultimately towards an increased exposure to risk and vulnerability to changes in the housing market. More fundamentally, the attempt to reconcile social and commercial logics is likely to have wider consequences for the legitimacy of the sector

The New Deal: jeopardised by the geography of unemployment?

The New Deal is the Labour government's flagship programme to "end the tragic waste of youth and long-term unemployment" by getting people off welfare benefits and into work. This paper argues that the principal weakness of the New Deal is that it seeks to influence the character of labour supply (i.e. the motivation and skills of the unemployed) while neglecting the state of labour demand, which varies greatly between places. The uneven geography of unemployment in the UK is likely to have a crucial bearing on the programme's impact and effectiveness, but this has been largely ignored in its development. The paper outlines some of the practical consequences of this imbalance and suggests how it could be rectified for the programme to be more effective

A measure of support Good practice in managing supported housing

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:99/36288 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Group dynamics Group structures and registered social landlords

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:m02/14405 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

To build or not to build Assessing value for money in housing association rehabilitation programmes

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:GPE/3040 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Memorandum of understanding between the Housing Corporation and the Commission for the New Towns

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:98/25173 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

The Housing Corporation and the Rural Development Commission's rural settlement gazetteer

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:8330.58235(26) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply Centre2. ed.GBUnited Kingdo

Black and minority-ethnic housing organisations The way forward

Report of a conference held in Edinburgh (GB), 22 Oct 1992Available from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:q94/16971 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

Best value cross cutting review of services for older people London Borough of Camden

Produced with the Department of Health Social Services Inspectorate, London (GB).Available from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:m01/27899 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo