DEMOCRACY VS EFFICIENCY

Democracy vs. Efficiency

Abstract

The role of institutions in housing markets has a significant bearing on the output and quality of housing. Building and planning regulations in particular help shape how housing is produced, exchanged and consumed. Due to the fragmented and differentiated nature of housing markets across and within countries, an institutional analysis offers the potential to uncover the role of agents and regulations in shaping local housing outcomes. In the past, analysis of the impact of regulations on housing has mainly sought to quantify the effects of specific regulations on house prices. However, such analyses often fail to appreciate differences in the structures of housing provision in different countries and regions and do not address the implications of different legal structures on the practices of housing agents. This paper critically examines the role of the Federal Government and the State Authority in the provision of low cost housing in a developing region.

Democracy vs. Efficiency

Introduction

Barack Obama President of the United States rightly heralded as a major event in the world. He ran a transformative campaign - an invitation to the American people to join the movement, rather than simply supporting the candidate. Now, when he begins to manage crises in the country and abroad, President Obama, and those at the head of his administration, faced with unprecedented challenges, but also unique opportunities. The American people have rallied around the idea that the federal government has a critical role in the domestic prosperity and national security. At the same time, Americans are engaged in the political process and want to be part of the solution of our country.

As a candidate, Obama offered a vision of a new federal government and the renewed role for the Americans. This promise extends to the potential to transform how the federal government approaches cities and large towns and fundamentally rethink policies and programs to address the urgent needs of our people's housing and improving the economic, social and civic health of our cities and urban areas (Robert, 2009).

Mr. Obama now have the opportunity to make good on his campaign promise that cities and urban areas, will not be seen as problems to be solved or as areas in which districts should be managed, but it will be properly understood as essential building blocks of our national economy. The American economy is largely based on the strength of its urban areas, and President Obama recognizes the strengths, potential and economic importance of cities and urban areas (Rosenberg, 1994).

This vision of our cities and the expectation that the federal government can be a partner in their growth and revitalization in itself is not new, but it is much more likely to understand than ever before. Under the previous administration tried to deal with the federal government in the reconstruction of our cities, they were stymied by political Push-back from different angles: some argue that the cities were too far gone to be a worthy investment, and some that the government should simply allow ...