Housing and Party Politics in Germany and Its Länder

Amid a persistent affordability crisis, German political parties increasingly frame housing as the “new social question of our time.” But to what extent do parties at the national and regional levels also agree on solutions, given Germany's stark regional housing differences and regionalized housing policymaking? Using a novel dataset on party positions toward housing, we analyzed 361 party manifestos from national and Länder elections between 2000 and 2020 and find that housing has become an increasingly salient electoral issue over time. We also show that left-leaning parties prefer renter-oriented policies, while right-leaning parties favor homeownership. Finally, we find clear that housing salience varies significantly between eastern and western Länder.