There are fears ‘help to buy’ will artificially inflate prices, and that’s at a time when early indications are that in some parts of the country at least, house prices are already on the rise. Colin Jones was a member of the discussion panel on BBC Radio 4 programme which discussed the current housing market context, the government’s “Help to Buy” initiative and the regulation of the private rented sector.
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Why write an academic blog?
I started blogging in 2009, having graduated with a craft design degree and having no idea what to do with it. I knew I liked design, I knew I liked talking and writing about it and I knew I now had some time on my hands, so I started writing I Like Local.
Anti-poverty strategies and equality policies – distant cousins?
Gina’s research has revealed significantly higher poverty rates for Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and Blacks (including Black Africans, Black Caribbeans and Black Other) than other ethnic groups in both Scotland and England (Netto et al, 2011). In this post, she makes recommendations for anti-poverty strategies in the light of these findings.
Charity Shops: Does every little really help?
Continuing on from her first piece ‘Charity Shops: Curse or Crux of the High Street?’, Dr. Nicola Livingstone reflects on the retail character of these shops in the twenty-first century. Are charity shops and their drive towards profit maximisation proving effective in achieving increased income for their relative causes, or are they caught-up in the quagmire of competition, constantly changing to remain relevant?
Has the ‘Big Society’ reached the frontline of statutory homelessness services?
David Cameron’s flagship ‘Big Society’ project has been subject to much debate since its inception a few years ago, both around what it actually is, and the nature of its true agenda. A few commentators believe the Big Society represents a qualitative shift in political ideology; others take the view that it is primarily a […]
IHURER seminar: Applying spatial econometrics to cross-sectional housing data
Our next IHURER seminar will take place Wednesday, 12th of June.
$ markets the spot
We live in a period where free market dominance is being openly questioned in terms of efficiency and sustainability – among other reasons. No doubt this has a lot to do with the financial crisis’ effect on every economy in the world, which is then retransmitted and multiplied due to globalization. Even the most fortified […]
An energy efficient property tax?
Can you imagine selling your home for a price that is dependent on how energy efficient it is? That is a possible future in store for Scotland under the new Land and Building Transaction Tax (LBTT), being discussed this Wednesday (5th June, 2013) at the Scottish Parliament’s Finance Committee.
IHURER seminar: The aristocracy of our moneyed corporations
Our next IHURER seminar will take place Wednesday, 5th June when Prof. Mark Stephens will be presenting on something a little different. “The battle to protect New Lanark and the Falls of Clyde” will be a case study of policy interpretation and its wider social ramifications today.
Optimism Returns and who’s afraid of the Big “Bad” Greek State?
Under a climate of a somehow promoted, and highly advertised, general optimism, Greek real estate is starting gradually to pop its head up – still afraid of another haircut. Some experts even dare to forecast a new beginning for the, until recently, dead Greek real estate market, before the end of 2013.