By Sónia Alves and Zlata Vuksanović-Macura
A new article co-authored by Sónia Alves and Zlata Vuksanović-Macura was recently published in the high-impact International Journal of Housing Policy. The article contributes to ongoing international debates on housing governance, policy design, and the use of knowledge in policymaking.
Titled “It’s a matter of politics”: Selective knowledge use in Danish housing policy, the article is an outcome of collaboration developed through the DASH project. The article reflects the project’s broader focus on comparative housing research, critical policy analysis, and international knowledge exchange.
This paper examines the Danish Parallel Society Act (PSA), a national policy framework introduced in response to residential segregation. The PSA employs measures such as demolition, tenure conversion, and the sale of non-profit housing in selected neighbourhoods. Using qualitative fieldworkfrom 2019 and 2023, semi-structured interviews with policymakers, municipal officials, housing association representatives, scholars, and residents, and analysis of policy documents and academic literature, the article explores how different forms of knowledge were mobilised, reinterpreted, or excluded during policy formulation. The study critically examines how scientific knowledge interacts with political priorities and institutional decision-making in the field of housing policy.
Importantly, the article exemplifies the reflective analysis approach, which is one of the key research methods used throughout the DASH project. By doing so, the article highlights the value of transnational collaboration and shows how comparative and reflective research can provide new insights into contemporary European housing challenges.
The article is available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/19491247.2026.2668660
