A collection of articles, focusing on the literature review practices: for Housing Studies students
Monday, 26 October 2026
A review of an article on “The historical development of public housing in Indonesia”, with focus on the literature review done: for Housing Studies students
A review of an article on “The historical development of public housing in Indonesia”, with focus on the literature review done: for Housing Studies students
How to describe the reference of the article
in Harvard reference format?
Vitriana, A.,
Özogul, S., Mawhorter, S. & Woltjer, J., 2026. The historical development
of public housing in Indonesia: a path dependence analysis. International
Journal of Housing Policy, 26(1), pp.99–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/19491247.2025.2482233
[Accessed 02 April 2025].
What are the research objectives, research
issues, research philosophy and research type of the study?
Based on the
provided document, the research details are as follows:
Research
Objectives:
- To examine the historical
trajectory of public housing development in Indonesia.
- To understand how key
socio-political moments influenced the trajectory of public housing
regulation in Indonesia.
- To analyse how power-sharing
among multiple government levels has affected the institutional
arrangement of public housing. These objectives aim to clarify the dynamic
changes in Indonesian public housing arrangements since independence in
1945, focusing on institutional changes and governance shifts.
Research Issues:
- The retreating role of the
state in public housing provision due to financial constraints and
neoliberal regulatory trends.
- The linkage between
Indonesia’s dominant single-family, owner-occupied housing model and
low-income housing provision, especially the limited development of
multifamily public housing.
- The influence of political
and governance system transformations on public housing institutions.
- The increasing involvement
of the private sector in low-income housing provision amid these changes.
- Limited international
discourse on the institutional trajectory of public housing in Indonesia,
a developing country context. These issues highlight gaps and challenges
in understanding Indonesia’s public housing policy development and
institutional arrangements.
Research
Philosophy:
- The study employs a
qualitative research philosophy, focusing on understanding institutional
arrangements and historical trajectories through qualitative data
analysis.
- It applies a path dependence
approach, which is rooted in historical institutionalism, to interpret how
past events and critical junctures influence the current institutional
state of public housing governance.
- The qualitative approach is
supported by document analysis of regulations and interviews with key
informants to gain in-depth insights.
Research Type:
- Qualitative longitudinal
case study research.
- The study analyses secondary
data from 98 regulatory documents at various government levels,
complemented by 11 interviews with high-ranking former and current
government officials.
- The research focuses on West
Java province as a representative case of Indonesia's largest population
to provide comprehensive understanding of public housing institutional
development over time.
- The research segments the
historical development into four regulatory periods according to political
and governance regime changes.
In summary, the
study is a qualitative, longitudinal, path dependence analysis focusing on the
institutional historical development of public housing in Indonesia through
regulatory and interview data to address socio-political influences and governance
structures shaping policy and practice.
How do the research philosophy, research type
and research objectives of the study influence the literature review approach
and literature review focus of the study?
The research
philosophy, research type, and research objectives of the study significantly
shape both the literature review approach and the literature review focus as
follows:
1.
Influence of
Research Philosophy (Qualitative and Path Dependence / Historical
Institutionalism):
- Because the study adopts a
qualitative research philosophy grounded in historical institutionalism
and path dependence theory, the literature review emphasizes works that
provide a deep conceptual and theoretical understanding of institutional
dynamics, historical trajectories, and policy evolution in public housing.
- The literature review
therefore focuses on prior studies that explain how institutions develop
over time through critical junctures and reinforcing sequences, as well as
the role of governance, state involvement, and neoliberalisation in
shaping housing policy (e.g., the shift from state-led to privatized
models in the Global North and developing countries).
- This qualitative and theoretical
orientation encourages the review of academic discussions that interpret
the socio-political and institutional context, rather than predominantly
quantitative or empirical outcome-focused housing studies.
2.
Influence of
Research Type (Qualitative Longitudinal Case Study):
- The longitudinal case study
nature of the research means the literature review must cover a broad
temporal scope, incorporating historical studies and analyses of public
housing development over several decades, both globally and within
Indonesia or comparable contexts.
- Comparative literature on
public housing regimes in the Global North and developing countries is
reviewed to situate Indonesia’s institutional trajectory within global and
regional patterns, particularly considering the evolution of governance
systems and the complexity of multi-level government interactions.
- The literature selected also
includes prior case studies employing path dependence or historical
institutionalism to analyze housing systems, helping to frame the
methodology and analytical approach compatibly.
3.
Influence of
Research Objectives:
- Since
the objectives are to analyze historical trajectories, institutional
change, and power-sharing arrangements in public housing governance, the
literature review focuses on identifying relevant institutional theories,
governance concepts, and empirical examples of state intervention and
neoliberalisation in housing provision.
- The
review attends to scholarship that clarifies how political and governance
changes impact housing policy and provision, emphasizing institutional
continuity and change across different socio-political contexts.
- It also
covers housing policy frameworks emphasizing the state’s role, market
involvement, and the challenges unique to developing countries, addressing
the gap in understanding Indonesia’s housing development.
Summary: The qualitative, path dependence-oriented
philosophy and longitudinal case study approach steer the literature review
toward institutional and governance theories related to public housing history
and policy evolution, with an emphasis on critical socio-political junctures
and multi-level governmental roles. The objectives drive a focus on historical
institutionalism, neoliberalisation trends, and comparative public housing
contexts to construct a theoretical foundation aligning with the study’s
empirical, regulatory, and interview data analysis.
Does the literature review examine any major
academic theories?
Yes, the literature review in the study examines major
academic theories, particularly focusing on path
dependence and historical
institutionalism frameworks.
·
Path Dependence Theory:
The literature review discusses path dependence as a key concept to understand
the longitudinal development of public housing institutions in Indonesia. It
highlights how historical chains of events and critical junctures influence the
current form of institutions, leading to institutional continuity or
constrained change over time. This theory explains the tendency for housing
policies and regulations to follow a reinforcing sequence, making alternative
policy paths difficult to access once a certain trajectory is established.
·
Historical Institutionalism (HI):
Historical institutionalism is used as a social science research method that
focuses on how institutions — in this case, norms, rules, and public housing
regulations — are created, maintained, or changed over time. This theory
provides insight into the social and political processes behind institutional
development. The concept of critical junctures within HI is discussed as
moments in history when policy directions become path dependent or are
susceptible to change.
·
Neoliberalism / Neoliberalisation
Trends: The literature review also addresses neoliberal
regulatory trends affecting public housing globally and in developing
countries. It explores how state roles have shifted toward empowering market
mechanisms and private sector involvement in low-income housing provision, with
varying impacts in different contexts. This theoretical framing helps interpret
Indonesia's gradual regulatory engagement of private actors in public housing
provision.
The study integrates these major theories to analyze the
historical trajectory of public housing governance in Indonesia,
conceptualizing institutional development as a product of both reinforcing
historical pathways and socio-political influences shaped by neoliberalisation
trends.
In summary, the literature review grounds its analysis in
established academic theories of path dependence and historical
institutionalism, enriched by discussions on neoliberalism’s influence on
housing policy.
Describe 2 research limitations and 2
literature review limitations of the study.
·
The study acknowledges several limitations related to
both its research methodology and literature review:
Research
Limitations:
1. Uneven
Distribution of Interviewees Across Historical Periods:
The authors note an imbalance in the representation of interviewees with
experience from the different historical phases of Indonesian public housing
development. Particularly, it was challenging to find individuals with direct
experience from the earlier periods, which may limit the depth and
comprehensiveness of insights into those phases.
2. Potential
Bias or Inaccuracy in Interview Data: While the
study conducted semi-structured interviews with high-ranking current and former
government officials to verify regulatory analysis, the authors acknowledge the
possibility of encountering inaccurate or biased information from participants,
given their positions and perspectives. The researchers mitigated this by using
a systematic approach aiming for data saturation but recognize it as a
limitation.
Literature
Review Limitations:
3. Limited
Existing Research on Developing Countries’ Public Housing Institutional
Trajectories: The literature review points out that institutional
trajectories of public housing in developing countries, including Indonesia,
remain largely underexplored compared to the well-researched contexts in the
Global North. This gap constrains comparative insights and theoretical framing
based on extensive cases, limiting the depth of the literature review.
4. Scarcity
of Indonesia-Specific Public Housing Studies in Global Discourse:
The study highlights the limited international discourse and academic
literature focusing specifically on Indonesia’s public housing history and
institutional arrangements. This restricts the ability to ground their analysis
in a broad range of prior studies and theoretical debates centered on
Indonesia’s unique context.
These limitations suggest
opportunities for further research to deepen understanding of Indonesia's
public housing policy development and to integrate a broader range of perspectives
and contexts in future studies.
A review of an article on Ghana’s housing deficit and quality trends, with focus on the literature review done: for Housing Studies students
A review of an article on Ghana’s housing deficit and quality trends, with focus on the literature review done: for Housing Studies students
How to describe the reference of the article
in Harvard reference format?
Dramani, J.B., Frimpong, P.B. & Adusah-Poku,
F., 2026. A look at Ghana’s housing deficit and quality trends for over 20
years. Housing Studies, 41(5), pp.996-1020. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2025.2537647 [Accessed date].
What are the research objectives, research
issues, research philosophy and research type of the study?
The study's
research objectives, issues, philosophy, and type can be summarized as follows
based on the provided content:
Research
Objectives:
To examine the
role of government housing policies, such as the Affordable Housing Policy, in
understanding the demand, supply, and cost of housing in Ghana.
To analyze the
trend and pattern of housing deficit and quality changes and distribution in
Ghana from 2000 to 2021.
To identify the
current determinants of the housing quality index, ownership, and types of
housing in Ghana.
Research Issues
(Research Questions):
What role do
government housing policies play in understanding the demand and supply of
housing in Ghana?
What is the trend
and pattern of housing deficit and quality changes over the study period?
What are the
current determinants of housing quality index, ownership, and types of housing
in Ghana?.
Research
Philosophy:
The study follows
a positivist approach by using quantitative data from three waves of Ghana’s
Population and Housing Censuses (2000, 2010, and 2021) to analyze housing
trends over time.
The methodology
involves quantitative measurement using a constructed Housing Quality Index
based on census data indicators, suggesting an empirical and objective stance.
Research Type:
The study is
empirical, longitudinal, and quantitative, analyzing secondary data spanning
over 20 years to understand trends and determinants of housing deficit and
quality in Ghana.
It also adopts a
descriptive and explanatory approach by examining trends, patterns, and causal
relationships influencing housing quality and deficit.
These details
indicate the study’s systematic investigation into Ghana's housing sector,
relying on census data and structured indices to derive its conclusions.
How do the research philosophy, research type
and research objectives of the study influence the literature review approach
and literature review focus of the study?
The research
philosophy, research type, and research objectives of the study significantly
shape both the approach to the literature review and its focus as follows:
Influence of
Research Philosophy (Positivist, Quantitative, Empirical):
The study adopts a
positivist philosophy, relying on objective, measurable data (Population and
Housing Census data) over time. Consequently, the literature review focuses on
prior empirical studies that utilize quantitative data and statistical methods to
analyze housing deficit and quality.
This leads the
authors to prioritize studies that have applied objective housing quality
indices, multi-criteria analyses, or census/survey data to understand housing
issues in Ghana and other Global South contexts (e.g., Fiadzo et al. 2001; Meng
and Hall 2006) .
The review also
emphasizes research gaps identified by earlier quantitative studies, especially
the lack of longitudinal analyses on distribution and trends, to justify their
empirical approach.
Influence of Research
Type (Empirical, Longitudinal, Quantitative):
Since the research
analyzes 20+ years of census data describing trends and changes, the literature
review takes a chronological and thematic approach, highlighting studies on
housing trends, policy impacts, and housing quality determinants over time.
It examines
empirical findings on housing policies’ effectiveness, structural changes in
housing supply, and quality assessment methodologies to set the stage for the
study’s multi-year census data analysis.
The focus is on
quantitative indicators such as housing quality indices, ownership types, and
housing materials rather than purely qualitative or theoretical discussions.
Influence of
Research Objectives (Policy role, Housing quality trend, Determinants):
Given the
objectives to investigate government policy impact, quality trends, and
determinants, the literature review concentrates on:
National housing
policies and affordable housing program evaluations in Ghana, focusing on their
relation to supply-demand gaps and quality changes.
Studies that
identify factors influencing housing quality, such as socioeconomic drivers,
material usage, and overcrowding .
The spatial and
temporal distribution of housing quality that aligns with the objective of
analyzing trends and regional disparities .
This policy- and
determinant-oriented focus ensures the literature identifies relevant
frameworks and gaps related to government interventions and quality indicators,
supporting the study’s empirical analyses.
Summary: The positivist, empirical, and quantitative nature
of the study directs the literature review to emphasize previous empirical
quantitative research, longitudinal studies, and policy evaluation literature.
The focus is on measurable housing quality indices, government policy roles,
and determinants of housing quality, aligning with the study’s objectives of
trend analysis and understanding policy influences. This ensures a
well-justified foundation for the study’s methodological and analytic choices,
situated firmly within existing knowledge gaps.
Does the literature review examine any major
academic theories?
The literature
review in the study does not explicitly examine or discuss any major academic
housing or economic theories in a formal theoretical framework. Instead, it
focuses primarily on empirical studies related to housing deficit and quality in
Ghana and other Global South contexts, reviewing previous findings on housing
types, maintenance, quality indices, and the effects of housing policies.
Specifically, the review:
Summarizes
empirical findings about housing quality drivers such as access to social
amenities and construction materials.
Highlights
challenges like informal housing growth due to self-built houses and high costs
from developers.
Discusses previous
research on spatial distribution of housing quality and housing systems in
Ghana.
Notes the absence
of updated work on determinants and distribution of housing quality in Ghana
after policy interventions.
Therefore, while
the literature engages with prior empirical research and relevant housing
concepts (e.g., housing quality index, determinants of quality, ownership
types), it does not explicitly discuss or build upon any major academic
theories or model frameworks related to housing economics, urban studies, or
social theory. The focus is more on empirical gaps and policy relevance rather
than theoretical exposition.
Describe 2 research limitations and 2
literature review limitations of the study.
The study
acknowledges several limitations in both its research design and literature
review as follows:
Research Limitations
Data Coverage
Limitation:
The study uses
only a subset of the full Population and Housing Census data (about 10-12%
samples from 2000, 2010, and 2021 censuses) rather than the complete datasets.
This partial coverage may limit the generalizability of detailed localized
findings, although it still captures national trends.
Lack of Certain
Data Dimensions:
The housing
quality index constructed in the study uses only three dimensions (physical
durability, overcrowding, and housing services) due to the unavailability of
data for the fourth dimension (household extra amenities) across all three
censuses. This omission may restrict the comprehensiveness of the housing
quality measure.
Literature Review Limitations
Scarcity of Recent
Empirical Studies:
The literature
review highlights a gap in recent empirical research analyzing the determinants
of housing quality in Ghana. For example, the study notes that previous key
work on the housing quality index (Fiadzo et al., 2001) is outdated and that
there is limited recent research updating or expanding on this topic,
especially after significant policy reforms .
Limited
Documentation on Temporal Distribution and Policy Effects:
The literature
review reveals insufficient focus in previous studies on the temporal
distribution of housing deficit and quality across time and space, as well as
limited analysis on the role of government housing policies in affecting
housing demand, supply, and quality over the long term. This gap necessitates
the current study’s focus on trends from 2000 to 2021 and policy impact
evaluation.
These limitations
underscore areas for caution in interpreting the study’s results and highlight
avenues for future research to build more comprehensive and updated evidence on
Ghana’s housing sector.
Sunday, 25 October 2026
A review of an article on Examining the association between shelter status and homelessness duration, notably on research approaches: for Housing Studies students
A review of an article on Examining the association between shelter status and homelessness duration, notably on research approaches: for Housing Studies students
How to describe
the article in Harvard reference format?
Highlight the main research issues and research objectives, 2 main academic theories used and the main research methods used in this article.
The article's main
research issues, objectives, academic theories, and research methods can be
summarized as follows:
Main Research
Issues:
- The association between
shelter status (whether an individual is sheltered or unsheltered) and the
duration of homelessness.
- How shelter status moderates
the relationship between social and health-related factors and the
likelihood of exiting homelessness.
- The role of shelter status
in shaping housing pathways and the variation in homelessness duration
among individuals.
Research
Objectives:
- To examine how shelter
status relates to the length of time individuals experience homelessness
in Halifax, Canada.
- To investigate whether
shelter status influences the impact of individual vulnerabilities, such
as immigrant status, victimization, substance use history, and age at
first homelessness, on homelessness duration.
- To provide survival analysis
insights into exit probabilities from homelessness over time, comparing
sheltered and unsheltered populations.
Two Main Academic
Theories Used:
1.
Typology of
Homelessness Based on Shelter Utilization Patterns: The article employs the framework developed
by Kuhn and Culhane (1998), which categorizes homelessness into transitional,
episodic, and chronic types based on shelter usage patterns.
2.
Urban Governance
and Housing Pathways Theory: The study draws
on theories about how urban governance structures, including shelter access and
institutional routes, influence individual homelessness trajectories and
duration (Benjaminsen, Dyb, & O'Sullivan, 2009).
Main Research
Methods:
- Use of a near-complete count
and survey data of homeless individuals in Halifax, including both
sheltered and unsheltered populations.
- Statistical analysis
involving:
- Independent samples t-tests
and Cohen's d effect sizes to identify factors associated with
homelessness duration.
- Cox proportional hazards
models to assess the relationship between shelter status, social and
health covariates, and the timing of exit from homelessness.
- Interaction terms in the
models to investigate how shelter status modifies associations between
vulnerabilities and duration.
- Survival analysis techniques
including survival curves to understand exit probabilities over time.
What research
approaches (reasoning) [inductive/ deductive/ abductive] and research
approaches (methods) [qualitative/ quantitative/ mixed methods research] have
been used in this study?
The study
primarily employs the following research approaches and methods:
Research Reasoning
Approach:
- Deductive
reasoning: The study tests specific hypotheses concerning
the association between shelter status and homelessness duration, as well
as the moderating effects of shelter status on social and health-related
factors. This is evident from the use of established theories (e.g.,
typology of homelessness and urban governance) to guide hypothesis
formulation and the statistical testing of relationships using t-tests and
Cox proportional hazards models.
Research Methods
Approach:
- Quantitative
research methods: The study relies on quantitative data from a
near-complete survey of homeless individuals in Halifax, including
numerical measurements such as homelessness duration, shelter status, and
categorical social and health variables. The analysis involves statistical
testing (t-tests, Cohen's d), survival analysis, and Cox proportional
hazards modeling to quantitatively examine associations and interactions.
There is no
indication of qualitative or mixed methods research such as interviews,
ethnography, or qualitative thematic analysis in the reported methodology. The
focus is on quantitatively analyzing survey data to explore and measure
relationships, consistent with a deductive and quantitative research paradigm.
Describe 2 main
research limitations of the study.
Two main research limitations of the study are:
1.
Temporal Ordering and Causality
Limitation: The study uses cross-sectional data collected at a
single point in time when all respondents were experiencing homelessness. As a
result, it measures time since last housed for ongoing homelessness spells
rather than completed spells. This design limits causal inference because it
cannot determine whether unsheltered status causes longer homelessness
duration, whether longer homelessness increases the likelihood of being
unsheltered, or whether both are influenced by earlier barriers to shelter
access. Additionally, ongoing homelessness spells may be overrepresented,
biasing the data toward longer durations.
2.
Measurement and Data Limitations:
Shelter status was only measured at the time of the count, preventing
assessment of transitions between sheltered and unsheltered status during
homelessness. Homelessness duration was self-reported and subject to recall
error or approximations, as indicated by clustering around one-, two-, and
three-year marks. Furthermore, social and health-related characteristics were
treated as static factors measured at one point in time, so the study cannot
determine whether these vulnerabilities preceded or resulted from homelessness
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