Emeritus Professor of Housing and Urban Sociology

Uppsala University, Institute for Housing and Urban Research (IBF)

Current research

My current research concerns the distinctive social rental market systems of Germany and Germany's smaller neighbouring western countries (clockwise from northwest: Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland). In these countries policy has encouraged a large non-profit rental sector that competes with profit renting (the latter also receiving subsidies) -for households. This contrasts with English-speaking countries where non-profit renting is state-controlled and prevented from competing with profit renting and where access is limited to the poor. Other areas of current interest include the comparative method, a constructionist approach to homelessness as a social problem and the field effect of meditation on society.