The role of civil society in the development of housing policy: Some lessons from Southern Africa

The paper investigates the relations between state and household and their possible mediation by various forms of civil society. It argues that, depending on the situation, there are different ways for civil society to act as the channel for the demands of households to influence policy. The paper refers to housing policy in two contrasting countries - Mozambique and South Africa; both are undergoing transition from authoritarian regimes. It outlines how housing policy has developed and some of the main constraints to its implementation, and relates this to a prognosis of the developing political, economic and institutional situations in each country.