A major theme of this book has been the espousal of the pathways approach to housing, which is dynamic and which examines the interaction between households and the structures that influence the opportunities and constraints they face. The pathways approach is particularly appropriate in postmodern society where housing is predominantly a means of personal fulfilment and the meaning households attach to their housing, and its relationship to identity and lifestyle in housing decisions, are vital issues. This approach has implications for the kind of housing research needed, as traditional forms of positivist research in housing are ill-adapted to the context of postmodern society.

This chapter starts with an analysis of the research which is needed in the current context to further explore the pathways approach. The pathways approach demands a different research emphasis from much traditional housing research in terms of both the focus of study and the research methods used. Therefore, the general principles of the necessary approach are outlined, and the implications of the pathways approach for the research methods employed, are explored. This is followed by a discussion of the gaps in knowledge of housing that research needs to fill. This brief discussion draws on the analysis in the previous chapters, which have examined particular aspects of pathways. Finally, the chapter focuses on research for policy making. Much housing research is commissioned by government bodies or is designed to influence housing policy. This is one reason why most research is based on a positivist paradigm, as it is designed to influence a policy-making process that gives primacy to the forms of knowledge that such research produces. It is argued that the current form of policymaking process is ill-suited to postmodern society and needs to be replaced with a process that is more open to the kinds of knowledge that the pathways approach produces.

Analysing pathways

Sarre (1986) has laid out a useful framework for applying the concept of structuration to empirical research, which is relevant to the task of elucidating housing pathways.