ON EXPLANATIONS OF HOUSING POLICY

This paper is concerned with making sense of current ways of explainin g housing policy. Four different types of explanation are identified a nd analysed in detail: explanations in terms of systems of actors, hyp othetico-deductive explanations, realist explanations, and culturalist explanations. The characteristic ontology and epistemology of each ty pe of explanation is made explicit. The four types of explanation are then evaluated, partly in their own terms, and partly in relation to e ach other. It is argued that explanations in terms of systems of actor s are inherently superficial, so it is essential to go beyond and belo w them in order to achieve an acceptable level of explanatory adequacy . Hypothetico-deductive explanations are rescued from realist and cult uralist criticisms which tend to dismiss them altogether, but they are recognised as having serious limitations in terms of conceptual vague ness/ambiguity and contextual fragmentation. Realist explanations are considered in greater depth through an examination of regulation theor y. This examination amounts to a critique of the theory as regards its application to housing policy. Finally, culturalist explanations are assessed by using Kemeny's theory as an illustration, with both ontolo gical and epistemological problems being identified. The paper conclud es with an evaluation of the logical relations and differences between explanations of the four different types.