The aim of the rest of the book is to use the evaluation framework outlined in the first four chapters to examine supported housing for older people, homeless people and people with a disability in Britain and Sweden. This chapter will set the context for this by outlining the housing and support policies in the two countries. Making international comparisons of this kind can shed considerable light on the subject matter. The experience of different countries can open our eyes to new possibilities and can help us to understand how and why things have turned out the way they have. Important questions can be asked such as: Have different forms of supported housing emerged in different countries and why? Are there some forms of supported housing that seem to be successful in different contexts and which show general principles that may be widely applicable or does the context in a country determine the form that supported housing takes and its success? Our analysis needs to heed the problems of attempting to learn policy lessons from one country to another. The problems are illustrated by the literature on the transfer of policy between countries. For example, Dolowitz et al (2000) highlight a number of reasons why the transfer of policy from one country to another may be problematic, as we will discuss later in the chapter. Despite these potential problems, comparing supported housing in different countries may serve to open our eyes to new possibilities or help to identify lessons that can improve policy and provision. The important factors to bear in mind are an awareness of possible problems with potential transfer and the importance of the context within which specific forms of provision, such as supported housing, are embedded in a particular country. Individual countries differ in the political cultures that set the context for policies as well as in their policy-making processes and structures. The institutions that deliver policies in housing and support may also differ substantially between countries. Therefore, it is important to start with a discussion of the nature of these differences and how they are formed before focusing on the situation within our chosen countries.