> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://housing-base.journalismarena.eu/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://housing-base.journalismarena.eu/access-to-housing/academic-reports-and-papers/size-of-the-tenure-wealth-gap-in-10-countries-with-different-housing-and-welfare-regimes-aug-2019.md). # Size of the tenure wealth gap in 10 countries with different housing and welfare regimes (Aug 2019) * **In which European countries is homeownership more financially advantageous? Explaining the size of the tenure wealth gap in 10 countries with different housing and welfare regimes** * By Barend Wind and Caroline Dewilde. Published online in the International Journal of Housing Policy on 30 August 2019 * * **Abstract**: * **Previous research consistently shows that homeowners accumulate more wealth compared with tenants.** * **In this paper, we describe the size of this ‘tenure wealth gap’ for 10 European countries \[Austria, Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain]. Furthermore, we explain why the size of the tenure wealth gap differs between countries by including cross-level interactions between institutional variables and housing tenure in a series of country-fixed effects regression models**. * Cross-country differences arise as the costs of owning versus renting, as well as the profitability of homeownership versus other investments, differ along the lines of welfare policies and housing regime arrangements. * We attempt to control for selection bias related to tenure status by using propensity score matching techniques, using data from the Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS). * **Our findings suggest that the tenure wealth gap is largest in familialistic welfare states, in which marginalised tenants are unable to save, whereas homeownership is a family resource that provides an in-kind retirement income** (‘passive’ asset-based welfare). * **We find smaller tenure wealth gaps in countries with a financialised promotion of homeownership, where housing wealth functions as a privatised welfare arrangement** (‘active’ asset-based welfare). * The smallest tenure wealth gaps occur in countries with more affordable rental housing, allowing tenants to accumulate savings. * **Keywords**: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, home-ownership, tenure, wealth gap, rental housing, property, welfare --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://housing-base.journalismarena.eu/access-to-housing/academic-reports-and-papers/size-of-the-tenure-wealth-gap-in-10-countries-with-different-housing-and-welfare-regimes-aug-2019.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.