Are Affordable Housing Policies Rightly Targeted? Lessons From India

Abstract

The increasing urban population is pressurizing many national governments, particularly the developing economies, to provide shelter to their people as the demand for affordable housing is fast outpacing the supply. Despite a large number of interventions worldwide, the need for affordable housing continues to escalate, with the gap between the supply and the demand enlarging. Using the example of India, this research explores if the policies have been targeted at the right group of cities or states. The distribution of funds is not uniform both on an absolute and per capita basis. While needy cities and states received some attention, others did not receive adequate support. The interventions to provide affordable housing need to be comprehensive, beyond the physical brick-and-mortar models, to integrate civic infrastructure, facilitate access to employment locations, and minimize dislocation to the extent possible. The conclusions, drawn through descriptive statistical analysis, provide pointers to the developing economies on being mindful during the implementation and structure the instruments so that the benefits of policy measures percolate down to the needy.