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How housing outcomes vary between the Belgian regions

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Abstract

Belgium is a federal state with three regions: the Flemish Region, the Walloon Region, and the Brussels-Capital Region. In international housing literature, the picture of Belgium is mainly defined by that of Flanders. This study provides new information on the housing conditions in the three regions, information that until now has been rare. Apart from that, this study adds to the knowledge on the relationship between housing policy and housing outcomes. Although the three regions largely share the same policy, there prove to be varying housing outcomes. Differences in general income levels and poverty levels between the regions are reflected to a significant extent in housing outcomes. However, the results also show how housing policy can indeed make a difference.

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Notes

  1. See http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/microdata/eu_silc.

  2. http://statbel.fgov.be/nl/statistieken/cijfers/economie/bouw_industrie/vastgoed/gemiddelde_prijs_woonhuis/.

  3. The thresholds are increased by €1,700–€2,400 for dependent family members. The thresholds are in general highest in the Walloon Region. For single persons, the Flemish Region has the lowest thresholds and for families, it is the Brussels-Capital Region that has the lowest thresholds.

  4. In Flanders, there is an allowance for households with a very low income. It is subject to very strict conditions. In 2008, approximately 9,000 households received such a benefit of €100 per month on average (Heylen 2013).

  5. With the exception of a relatively high figure for damp problems in Flanders, for which we do not have a clear explanation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for the very welcome suggestions included in the reviews of a former version of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. HIVA Research Institute for Work and Society, KU Leuven, Parkstraat 47, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Sien Winters & Kristof Heylen

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  1. Sien Winters
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  2. Kristof Heylen
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Correspondence to Sien Winters.

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Winters, S., Heylen, K. How housing outcomes vary between the Belgian regions. J Hous and the Built Environ 29, 541–556 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-013-9364-3

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