| Abstract: | The aim of this article is to describe and compare the housing finance systems in the Nordic countries from a housing policy perspective. The starting point is the obvious similarity between the countries in economic, cultural, geographical and historical respects. While a housing consumption goal is important to all these countries and in spite of their similarities, the countries have chosen quite different housing finance systems. It is suggested that one explanation of these differences is different methods of targeting or selectivity. Nevertheless, some countries do have a more selective policy than others. One explanation may be differences in the housing stock. It is observed that countries with a high share of selective subsidies do not have a public, non‐profit housing sector. The paper ends with a discussion of the need for more research in this important area. |
