The redistributive effect of public housing in Hong Kong
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Urban Studies: An International Journal of Research in Urban Studies
Publication Date
9-1-2007
Volume
44
Issue
10
First Page
1937
Last Page
1952
Publisher
Sage Publications Ltd.
Abstract
Public housing programmes in Hong Kong affect half of the population directly and the other half indirectly. This paper assesses the redistributive effect of public rental housing on income distribution. It uses a subsidised-to-market rent ratio method and an imputed rent method to convert transfer-in-kind of public rental housing into equivalent monetary value. Empirical results show that the provision of public housing alleviates the income inequality problem. However, the amount of public expenditure required achieving the same improvements in Gini coefficient and other inequality measures is small relative to the actual public expenditure on housing. Policy-makers should thoroughly review the existing public housing programmes
DOI
10.1080/00420980701471919
Print ISSN
00420980
E-ISSN
1360063X
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2007, Urban Studies Journal Limited
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Lui, H. K. (2007). The redistributive effect of public housing in Hong Kong. Urban Studies, 44(10), 1937-1952. doi: 10.1080/00420980701471919