The Tools Of Government For The Development Of The Russian Housing Sphere

This article examines the mix of policy instruments used by the Russian government in the sphere of housing development. The analysis is based on an influential framework for the study of public management and policy design - the tools of government - which distinguishes nodality (information), authority, treasure, and organization-based tools. The article also utilizes a distinction between substantive and procedural tools. It first surveys substantive tools used in Russian housing policy, including the Agency for Home Mortgage Lending, two state foundations for housing construction and rehabilitation, and mortgage lending banks, among others. Discussion then moves to the use of procedural tools, such as consultations between the government and business associations of the construction industry, and the organization of professional forums and conferences. The third section explains the use of the specific mix of government policy tools with reference to the structure of the policy subsystem, that is, the community of actors involved in this policy field. The conclusion relates the use of government instruments in Russia - predominantly treasure and authority for substantive tools, and organization and authority for procedural tools - to the use of similar instruments by other governments.