Marxism and Real Estate Development


Book Description

This book straddles two worlds and attempts to bring them together: that of Lefebvre's Marxism on the one hand, and that of real estate development on the other. Lefebvre has now become a household name amongst many contemporary Marxists, especially those with an interest in urban planning and certain quarters of the architectural profession, however his work is far less well known by real estate professionals, whether investors, developers, brokers, or, indeed, policymakers. Marxism and Real Estate: Taking Lefebvre Seriously has both a large scope and a very bold aim – to use an explication and analysis of the work of Henri Lefebvre not only to present a critique of development, but, also to draw these two worlds together. It therefore, first, aims to present the arguments of this increasingly well-known French Marxist philosopher, sociologist, and pioneer of urban studies; second, to situate contemporary real estate development in the light of Lefebvre's work; and third, to analyse the potential application of Lefebvre’s work to each of the major components of contemporary real estate, to use Lefebvre's work in order to recommend practical action for developers, working alongside planners and architects, to influence the future of global real estate. As well as its direction at developers themselves, this book should be of interest to economists, real estate researchers and professionals, planners, urban studies scholars and, of course, to those interested in the application of Lefebvre's work to real estate.




In Defense of Housing


Book Description

In every major city in the world there is a housing crisis. How did this happen and what can we do about it? Everyone needs and deserves housing. But today our homes are being transformed into commodities, making the inequalities of the city ever more acute. Profit has become more important than social need. The poor are forced to pay more for worse housing. Communities are faced with the violence of displacement and gentrification. And the benefits of decent housing are only available for those who can afford it. In Defense of Housing is the definitive statement on this crisis from leading urban planner Peter Marcuse and sociologist David Madden. They look at the causes and consequences of the housing problem and detail the need for progressive alternatives. The housing crisis cannot be solved by minor policy shifts, they argue. Rather, the housing crisis has deep political and economic roots—and therefore requires a radical response.




The Endowment Effect and Housing Markets


Book Description

This book aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the so-called “endowment effect” in the housing market. In a nutshell, the phenomenon of overvaluing things we own which was first conceptualised in 1980 and has since been one of the most studied behavioural biases in economics. The first chapter presents a systematic review of the literature on the endowment effect in the housing market, together with the identification of research gaps to be filled by other researchers. The second chapter aims to propose a theoretical model explaining the strength of the endowment effect in sales and rental housing markets by primary and secondary markets. The last chapter presents the results of empirical research on the endowment effect in the Polish housing market, testing the model presented in Chapter 2. The chapters can be read together or independently by researchers, students, and policymakers interested in behavioural economics in housing and real estate. For policymakers, the book can be extremely useful as the endowment effect can create friction in the housing market because of a mismatch between the price demands of sellers and buyers, especially in countries where the level of market professionalisation is low (such as Poland). Thanks to the empirical research contained in this book, it will be possible to identify specific market segments where the endowment effect may be particularly elevated – on such segments, policymakers should introduce actions contributing to the elimination of this behavioural bias.




Research Handbook on Law and Marxism


Book Description

This Research Handbook offers unparalleled insights into the large-scale resurgence of interest in Marx and Marxism in recent years, with contributions devoted specifically to Marxist critiques of law, rights, and the state.




The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Studies


Book Description

Provides comprehensive coverage of major topics in urban and regional studies Under the guidance of Editor-in-Chief Anthony Orum, this definitive reference work covers central and emergent topics in the field, through an examination of urban and regional conditions and variation across the world. It also provides authoritative entries on the main conceptual tools used by anthropologists, sociologists, geographers, and political scientists in the study of cities and regions. Among such concepts are those of place and space; geographical regions; the nature of power and politics in cities; urban culture; and many others. The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Studies captures the character of complex urban and regional dynamics across the globe, including timely entries on Latin America, Africa, India and China. At the same time, it contains illuminating entries on some of the current concepts that seek to grasp the essence of the global world today, such as those of Friedmann and Sassen on ‘global cities’. It also includes discussions of recent economic writings on cities and regions such as those of Richard Florida. Comprised of over 450 entries on the most important topics and from a range of theoretical perspectives Features authoritative entries on topics ranging from gender and the city to biographical profiles of figures like Frank Lloyd Wright Takes a global perspective with entries providing coverage of Latin America and Africa, India and China, and, the US and Europe Includes biographies of central figures in urban and regional studies, such as Doreen Massey, Peter Hall, Neil Smith, and Henri Lefebvre The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Studies is an indispensable reference for students and researchers in urban and regional studies, urban sociology, urban geography, and urban anthropology.




What Is Property? - Inquiry into the Principle of Right and of Government


Book Description

"Property is theft!" is a slogan coined by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon in "What is Property?" By "property", Proudhon referred to a concept regarding land property that originated in Roman law. Proudhon's concept of "property" was criticized by Karl Marx who wrote that the expression "property is theft" is self-refuting and unnecessarily confusing, stating that "'theft' as a forcible violation of property presupposes the existence of property" and condemning Proudhon for entangling himself in "all sorts of fantasies, obscure even to himself, about true bourgeois property".




Social Theory and the Urban Question


Book Description

Social Theory and the Urban Question offers a guide to, and a critical evaluation of key themes in contemporary urban social theory, as well as a re-examination of more traditional approaches in the light of recent developments and criticism. Dr Saunders discusses current theoretical positions in the context of the work of Marx, Weber and Durkheim. He suggests that later writers have often misunderstood or ignored the arguments of these 'founding fathers' of the urban question. Dr Saunders uses his final chapter to apply the lessons learned from a review of their work in order to develop a new framework for urban social and political analysis. This book was first published in 1981.




Marxism at Work


Book Description

This book examines the socialists who introduced Marxism to France in the decades before the First World War.




Marxism and the Global Financial Crisis


Book Description

The book discusses the nature of Marxist theory of crisis and applies it to the global financial crisis which began in 2007. Is the contemporary crisis simply the usual periodic upturn and downturn or is there something more fundamental? Is there a structural crisis of capitalism, from which there is no immediate solution? Is capitalism managed and does it have a strategy? Is the financial crisis representative of a failure in capitalism itself to subject banks and other financial institutions to the overall economy? The book discusses Marx’s view on crises, as well as ideas on money and finance. It considers the different modern Marxist ideas on the causes of crises – falling rate of profit, disproportionality and underconsumption. It goes into detail as to the nature of the present crisis, its course and causes in a spirited and independent manner. Apart from the United States, it considers the situation in the two countries, in which protests erupted: Iran and Greece. They are taken as examples of the effect of the crisis on the country, the society and the economy as well as its politics. This book was originally published as a special issue of Critique.




A Neoliberal Framework for Urban Housing Development in the Global South


Book Description

A Neoliberal Framework for Urban Housing Development in the Global South highlights the factors which predict urban housing development from developing countries’ perspective, providing a guide for countries in the sub-Sahara.