Work

“Take away the greed of the private landlord housing market … because is killing people”: Examining the political economy of housing and health inequalities in four English coastal towns

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Health inequalities are the avoidable and unjust differences in health that arise from how society and the economy are structured. These inequalities are driven by vertical political and economic systems that prioritise economic growth over wellbeing. Despite these drivers, empirical research on health inequalities often focuses horizontally on people, places, and their inter-relationships. This research adopts a vertical lens to examine the structural processes driving geographical inequalities in health, specifically framing housing as an extractive industry that contributes to ill-health and inequality. The study examines four English coastal towns, Hartlepool, Blackpool, Hastings, and Torbay, where deprivation, health and social inequalities are among the most severe in the country. Comparative ethnography is particularly effective for uncovering mechanisms that sustain health inequalities due to prolonged immersion within field sites but also, the explicit comparison of similarities and differences across places. Ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in 2023 with the author residing for 4-6 weeks in each of the towns. Data collection involved in-depth interviews, walking interviews, and focus groups with 140 people living/working in these towns, supported by participant observation, field notes, documentary analysis, and photography. This paper will focus on participants discussions around housing as a major determinant of poor health and inequalities in their towns. Findings highlight vertical mechanisms such as ‘Right-to-Buy legislation, extractive wealth practices of private landlords, substandard housing conditions, financial strain, and housing insecurity in driving physical and mental ill-health. By highlighting the intersection of housing, the political economy, and health inequalities this study demonstrates the importance of ‘scaling-up’ our analyses to identify vertical processes which undermine horizontal efforts to reduce inequalities in health. Further examination of these dynamics, covering other determinants of health, is necessary to support the development of policies that go beyond mitigating health inequalities but also tackle the vertical structures that sustain them. • Political economy of housing and health in English coastal towns • Housing framed as an extractive industry driving poor health in coastal towns • Right-to-Buy fuelled the decline of social housing and rise of private rentals • Private landlords profit from public funds while neglecting tenant welfare • Scaling up analysis reveals systematic roots of housing-related health harms

Source: Social Science & Medicine

DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118707

Author: Victoria J McGowan

Institution: Newcastle University

Language: English

Topic: Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism

Subfield: Finance

Field: Economics, Econometrics and Finance

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Sustainable cities and communities, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,800