Yu, Zhou2011-08-062011-08-061998-01-22etd-072799-023940http://hdl.handle.net/10919/9760This research paper examines China's urban housing reform with a historical perspective, which provides an insight into current housing policy. In the past two decades, urban housing in China has been under a drastic transformation. As a critical component of the economy, the housing sector has played a very active role in restructuring China's economic system. The housing reform has encountered significant resistance. This research focuses on the property rights issue, which is a major concern in housing reform. With a comparative approach, the study addresses the basic research question, what are the fundamental barriers in urban housing reform. The research also involves a comprehensive review of the concept of the property rights and related issues in Western countries to establish a theoretical framework for furthering China's housing reform in term of property rights. The research also involves an inspection of housing reform in selected post-socialist countries to explore alternative transformation policies. Further housing reform policy is also articulated.ETDIn Copyrighturban public housingChinahousing reformhousing policyproperty ownershipMajor paperhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-072799-023940