The Effect of Squatter Housing on Income Distribution in Urban Turkey

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of home-ownership on income distribution in Turkey. Making use of raw data from an official income distribution survey which provides information on cash and in-kind incomes of household members and imputed rents for home-owners, it is found that home-ownership has an equalising effect on income distribution in the urban areas of Turkey. This result is attributed to the fact that many low-income families reside in squatter housing built at the outskirts of large cities.