There are three explanations in the literature for Hong Kong embarking upon the state provision of housing in 1954. One explanation sees this provision as an inevitable response to the inability of the private sector to provide affordable housing for the influx of immigrants after 1945. The second interprets it as support for the property development industry, rather than for public welfare. The third explanation traces the intervention to the need to reproduce labour power, All three explanations may be criticized for faulty reasoning and for misinterpreting the historical background of the involvement. An argument is made for more attention to the autonomy, although limited, of the state and to the actual and potential resistance of squatters in producing the outcome of squatter resettlement and not just squatter clearance.
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