Harish, Swastik and Lala, Rasha Hasan creator text Economic & Political Weekly monographic eng

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61(14), Apr 4, 2026: p.97-106 Using the All India Debt and Investment Survey, 2019, the literature on housing inequality, and national- and state-level housing policies, this paper examines the prevalence of housing assets and the debts incurred to create the same, across asset-holding classes. Housing assets are central to household portfolios, even for low-income households operating in the absence of formal finance, derisking instruments, and clear land rights. There is a case for incremental financialisation of households to improve their housing quality, creditworthiness and reduce risk. Housing policy must be reconceived as a series of interconnected measures, and private partnerships can play an enabling role to account for growing household needs over time.-Reproduced https://www.epw.in/journal/2026/14/special-articles/housing-inequality-and-housing-asset-creation.html Economic & Political Weekly 260430