The Application of Sociological Methods to Detect Housing Market Disequilibrium. Critical & Context-Sensitive Housing Research Methodology

A particular goal of the project is to make more effective use of sociological theory and methods in the analysis of housing demand. As the global economic crisis showed, the housing market has the potential to undermine the stability of the entire national and global economy. The standard econometric approaches failed to reliably and promptly detect the disequilibrium in the housing markets. The main objective of this project is to define alternative methods for detecting housing market disequilibrium by means of the extensive use of sociological methods. The analysis will focus on the influence of general social constructs and typical social interactions on housing preferences, expectations, and the actual choice. The project should strengthen the critical discourse in international housing research. It will contribute to a better understanding of the specific features of the housing market in the Czech Republic and specific housing attitudes of Czech citizens. Its findings will serve a broad range of other goals, such as contributing to the formation of Czech housing policy. Read more...