Urban housing privatisation: redefining the responsibilities of the state, employers and individuals

This chapter examines how urban housing in China has gradually changed from a system of state-controlled employer provision to a system where employers and employees have become the owners and main sources of finance for urban housing. It focuses on the changing role of employers, the changing relationship between the state and employers, and the impacts of housing privatisation on the firms involved. It examines policy changes since the mid-1980s and the implications of these changes for housing provision in terms of efficiency and equity. The last section discusses the challenges that the current housing system needs to face in the future.