Ethically-speaking, what is the most reasonable way of evaluating housing outcomes?

Foye, C. (2021) Ethically-speaking, what is the most reasonable way of evaluating housing outcomes? Housing, Theory and Society, 38(1), pp. 115-131. (doi: 10.1080/14036096.2019.1697356)

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Abstract

This paper addresses one of the most fundamental, but least considered, questions in housing research: how should we ultimately evaluate housing outcomes? Rejecting the fact vs value dichotomy so dominant in the social sciences, this paper draws on the work of Amartya Sen and Hilary Putnam to critically assess the ethical assumptions behind three commonly adopted “informational spaces” for evaluating housing outcomes: economic, subjective and “objective” metrics. It argues that all three fail to account for the plurality of goods that individuals have reason to value and the fallibility of human judgement. As an alternative, it proposes that housing outcomes should be ultimately evaluated in terms of people’s “housing capabilities” - the effective freedoms that people have in their homes and neighbourhoods to do and feel the things they have reason to value – which should generally be determined through a bottom-up process of democratic deliberation involving critical and expert perspectives.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:This research was supported by: the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence which is funded by the Economic Social Research Council, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (ESRC grant number ES/P008852/1); and PhD funding provided to the author by the Reading Real Estate Foundation.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Foye, Dr Chris
Authors: Foye, C.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
Journal Name:Housing, Theory and Society
Publisher:Taylor & Francis
ISSN:1403-6096
ISSN (Online):1651-2278
Published Online:20 January 2020
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2020 The Authors
First Published:First published in Housing, Theory and Society 38(1): 115-131
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons license

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
300119UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE)Kenneth GibbEconomic and Social Research Council (ESRC)ES/P008852/1S&PS - Urban Studies