Managing the 'underclass': Interpreting the moral discourse of housing management

This paper examines contemporary housing management practice by attention t o a changing discourse within social policy, emphasising duties over rights . Current policy initiatives are based upon concerns about the collapse of foundational assumptions and a perceived decline in moral responsibility. T his concern is most commonly articulated in debates about the existence of an urban underclass, linked to anti-social behaviour on housing estates. Th e paper argues that a communitarian outlook has exerted a significant impac t on contemporary initiatives incorporating a strongly judgmental bias. As a consequence, housing practice discriminates between behaviour in social h ousing and privately owned property. Drawing upon post-liberal perspectives , the conclusion suggests that the predominance of a deontological discours e has resulted in policies of social control of residents.