This paper looks at the evolution of housing policy, particularly for lower-income groups, from independence to the present day. Amongst other trends, it observes that the government’s role has moved increasingly from a direct provider to an enabler of housing. Concurrently, there has been a steady erosion in the entitlement of the poor to government support in housing provision. This paper describes these policy trends and the philosophies that have underpinned these changes over time.

In keeping with the development consensus of the time, housing provision in roughly the two decades post-independence was heavily dominated by the state. The private sector only had a limited role to play in housing for lower income groups, although their participation and investment in housing for middle and higher income groups was significant.

During this period, housing was viewed primarily as a social or welfare good, and not one that contributed to economic growth. As a result, there was a heavy emphasis on reducing the cost of housing through innovations in building materials and construction techniques. The cost of housing was also ‘reduced’ by providing it at highly subsidized prices to certain target demographics. However, a high subsidy meant that often this housing was sold off by beneficiaries to higher income groups to profit.