(Withdrawn) Comparing housing tenure structures in a cross-European perspective

Juan Antonio Módenes Cabrerizo, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Celia Fernández Carro, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Housing studies have shown similarities among residential structures of Southern European Countries. Shared patters of population housing access and tenure distribution have been identified in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. However, during the last 15 years Spain has undergone significant transformations in both demographic (immigration) and a residential context (real estate boom), which have affected its population’s housing behaviour. The effects of these transformations can be perceived through changes in some residential features, such as the timing of access to the first accommodation, or the importance of the rental market. In this context, the main purpose is to analyse whether the Spanish population has changed its housing tenure features during the period 2004-2008, focusing on the effects that the real state boom have implied for them. At the same time, this paper analyses the population housing tenure distribution in other European countries, both northern and southern, with the aim to prove whether or not Spanish housing trends have modified the south-European pattern of residential behaviour, and it is converging to other territories housing model. Therefore, the main questions to be answered are; is the Spanish housing system changing in parallel to the occurrence of real state booms and economic crisis? Could these changes lead to a shift in the southern European residential model? Does the Spanish population resemble their residential patterns to other European countries different than the southern territories? We are able to use the EU-Statistics on Income and Living Conditions microdata. As panel survey, it allows us to follow variables concerning housing topic in successive waves (2004-2008). This paper develops indexes to measure the European residential structures accurately, improving the comparability among countries. It is especially relevant in contexts like Spain, where housing market has undergone a large transformation in such a brief period of time.