The New Right and the Welfare State: Housing Policy in Britain in the Thatcher Era

This study deals with the effects of the "new right" policies on housing in Britain in the Thatcher era. The housing sector in Britain had been drastically determined by the state intervention from the end of the Second World War to the end of the 1970's. After this period, the housing policy was largely transformed by the "new right" ideology. In this transformation process the government reduced the state intervention, implemented a housing privatization program and promoted the private investments in the housing sector. The two main priorities of the government were to cut back on public spending and to encourage home ownership.