Critical junctures: using a path dependence approach to analyse the scarcity of housing co-operatives in Australia

Abstract

We use a path dependence framework to understand the factors that have shaped the extent and form of Australia’s present day housing co-operative sector. The paper seeks to clarify why a housing co-operative sector did not emerge in a substantial way in Australia despite a substantial co-operative housing finance sector. We identify three paths and critical junctures that have shaped the Australian housing co-operative sector’s current form and status. These relate to the prioritisation of private property rights in a settler colonial context; the evolution of co-operative and mutual finance organisations; and the place of housing in Australia’s welfare system. We review ways that history impacts housing subjectivities, co-operative forms and scales, and modes of housing service delivery. We lastly offer reflections on the renewed focus on co-operative forms of housing in Australia in response to the housing affordability crises.

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