After World War II, American planners and housing experts urged countries around the world to launch mass homeownership programs. The US’ rising dominance in the global economy led these men and women to believe they could exert greater influence over the writing of laws, institutions, and forms around the world. They believed more accessible, mortgage-driven homeownership could spread political and economic stability; by giving families a literal stake in the nation, governments could stimulate political “buy in” and motivate higher savings rates, providing a larger pool of potential developm ... More

After World War II, American planners and housing experts urged countries around the world to launch mass homeownership programs. The US’ rising dominance in the global economy led these men and women to believe they could exert greater influence over the writing of laws, institutions, and forms around the world. They believed more accessible, mortgage-driven homeownership could spread political and economic stability; by giving families a literal stake in the nation, governments could stimulate political “buy in” and motivate higher savings rates, providing a larger pool of potential development capital for national economic growth and raising standards of living. All of these benefits would render a country less vulnerable to communism and bolster international security. To itinerant American experts, mass homeownership seemed an unquestionable good in the postwar world. Despite the flood of American dollars and advice, however, housing diplomacy played out unpredictably. Local and national interests determined what aspects of overseas aid would be accepted and implemented. Even governments that wanted to replicate American mass homeownership programs ended up producing highly localized forms serving particular political constituencies. In the end, questions of who should own homes where, and how, intertwined with the largest questions about economy, government, and society. This book narrates the evolution of American overseas housing aid programs and explains the limits on American influence in the postwar world.