The Housing Dimension of Welfare Reform - the ICCR

oadly and attention must thus be focused on housing policies and their
effects on the population more generally and not only on specific risk
groups. In the latter case, one is more interested in exploring how to
avoid homelessness or support the re-housing of homeless persons.
However, even if the focus of the analysis will thus vary, a
comprehensive analysis of either the policy level or the programme level
cannot ignore the specific or the global context respectively. The
comparative assessment of policies must consider how these operate at
the local level of programme or project implementation through services,
while an evaluation of a specific programme or service must take into
account the generic policy context and how this facilitates or constraints
the implementation of specific programmes.
Historical and prospective institutional analysis
Each policy or programme has its history, which influences the norms
and values of the institutional actors in charge of its operation and thus –
directly or indirectly – its modus operandi. This is particularly true of
social policies or programmes which are embedded in the long tradition
of the welfare state(s).
Important for any policy or programme evaluation is to understand how
the latter have developed in time – in terms of ideas, interests and main
actors. This is especially important when studying a specific policy or
programme with a view of determining scenarios for the future or the
possible institutional impacts of specific reform plans.
Charting aggregate outcomes with the help of indicators
Institutional analysis is a standard task for political science specialising
on (public) policy analysis. The use of indicators for studying the
outcomes of policies falls instead under the realm of quantitative
sociological or economic analysis. It is equally important for policy
evaluation.
Large comparative surveys provide the best source for the construction of
aggregate indicators. In the field of social policy relevant datasets are the
European Community Household Panel Survey (ECHP) (used in the
EUROHOME-IMPACT project) as well as its follower the Survey on
Income and Living Conditions in Europe (SILC); the Household
Expenditure Survey; the Labour Force Survey; as well as national
censuses or micro-census programmes.
There are different indicators that are of relevance for benchmarking
exercises and these can be classified into different categories according
to their degree of relevance for the analysis. Clearly some indicators –
EUROHOME-IMPACT FINAL REPORT 64