“Governmental management of social housing as an element of state social policy: Bibliometric analysis”

Social housing for socially vulnerable segments of the population is a significant component of governmental social policy, as it is directly linked to demographic and migration processes, socially vulnerable groups and people with special needs, poverty alleviation, social integration, and community development. The study conducts a bibliometric analysis (using VOSviewer tools) of the scientific literature on social housing policy and management. The study filtered more than 6,000 research papers indexed in the Scopus database from 1983 to 2024. The purpose was to structure the global scientific knowledge on governmental management of social housing as an element of the state’s social policy, focusing on the following directions. The first is the evolution of scientific thought. The analysis revealed a rapid growth in scientific interest starting from 1991; the earliest articles were published in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, and the United States, while scholars from Spain, Mexico, and Italy joined after 2020. The second is the complexity or conversely – concentration of research networks. The top five countries by the number of works are the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, Italy, and the United States; the most powerful research schools are in the Netherlands, Australia, and the United Kingdom; the most extensive scientific connections are held by the Netherlands, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, and France. The third is the content-thematic orientation of the research. The paper identified the predominance of works from social sciences; social housing issues are most frequently studied in connection with public health and inequality issues.


INTRODUCTION
Access to decent and affordable housing is a basic human need and right (Walker et al., 2024).Over 100 million individuals in the UNECE region who fall within the low-and middle-income brackets face challenges with housing affordability; they allocate more than 40% of their available income toward housing expenses (Swiatkiewicz, 2022).As a result of high housing costs, low-income households have limited resources to meet other basic needs, such as food, healthcare, clothing, and transportation.In other words, the low efficiency of governmental management in affordable housing means that other human rights become increasingly unaffordable.
Governments play a key role in shaping national housing policy systems.To address housing challenges in the aftermath of the global crisis, the fundamental linkages between housing and financial markets need to be contextualized in new housing policies.The balance between the future use of housing finance and public intervention needs to be determined.In particular, public intervention in the housing market should be carefully coordinated, and less emphasis should be placed on the direct provision of mortgage finance.More attention should be paid to impacts and externalities so that government involvement in the housing market could be supported by more targeted measures to achieve social objectives, such as providing economically affordable housing for low-income households.
As the demand for social housing is growing, state management of social housing became a key element of the country's social policy.Modern social housing construction is becoming more difficult due to the increase in the population, migration processes, and changes in the economy and social environment.
Another challenge is the lack of supply of appropriate types of housing due to demographic changes (e.g., housing for an aging population), so the governmental social policies must respond to diversified social housing needs.Such innovations become part of the process of creating sustainable, multi-generational communities that consider diverse interests.
Housing shortages are rarely absolute even within the same country, areas with high demand for housing (so-called high-growth areas or hot market areas) and areas with low demand (so-called blight areas) often coexist.The existence of regions with low and high demand for governmental management in social housing indicates the complexity of housing needs, as well as the specificity of these needs in a particular country.
Overall, governmental social housing management plays a vital role in advancing social policy objectives related to housing provision, poverty reduction, social inclusion, and community development.It serves as a cornerstone of efforts to ensure that housing is not just a commodity but also a fundamental human right accessible to all members of society.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Affordance of social housing has been and remains one of the critical issues for people all over the world.Millions of households are unable to solve the problem of housing shortage in market conditions, and the state is faced with the need to manage the national policy in the field of social housing for the benefit of its citizens.
Governmental social policy and management of housing construction are key determinants of the country's stability and well-being.It is important to consider not only the living conditions of citizens but also the level of their social integration and general development of society (Alekseyenko et al., 2021;Swiatkiewicz, 2022).In many countries, social housing policy is part of the social contract between the state and society.This means that states undertake to create such conditions and policies so that all people can have quality, affordable, and comfortable housing.In some countries, such as the Netherlands, social housing management is predominantly run by housing associations, which are not linked to either national or local authorities (Pozdnyakov et al., 2022).Social housing associations are independent institutions that operate under certain rules and may also receive support from authorities.In other countries, for example, in the Czech Republic, governmental management in the field of social housing is mainly provided by municipalities.
Countries are developing financial and social policies for social housing as part of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (Kobiyh & El Amri, 2023).In the Philippines (Hara, 2023), Jordan (Tahat, 2023), Algeria (Hadouga, 2023), and Nigeria (Evans et al., 2023), the number of households on waiting lists for social housing in UNECE member states has increased since the onset of the global financial crisis.This trend is illustrated by the fact that 1.8 million people are waiting for social housing in the UK, 1.8 million in France, and 1.17 million in Ukraine.There is a shortage of 5.3 million public housing units in the United States (Singh & Pandey, 2023).In European countries, the number of households registered on social housing lists has increased since the start of the global financial crisis (Tu et al., 2023).In South Africa, social policy receives special attention from the state, as the effective management of social policy is seen as a factor in economic growth (Djamal et al., 2023).In Africa, basic income has an effect on social development and demand in the social housing sector; even a minimal revenue can improve the quality of life in South Africa by funding the social housing sector (Makole et al., 2022).The social housing sector is defined as one that directly shows the quality of human life in European countries, and there are currently two challenges facing the social and affordable housing sector: growing need and declining funding.
Investigating the theoretical foundations of social housing management, Pshyk et al. (2022) focused on the fact that the need for financial support in the social housing sector is increasing, which in turn requires intervention by the state and government.After the global crisis, many countries in North America and Europe responded by increasing government spending on social housing.However, after an initial phase of large investments, many countries have significantly reduced housing budgets.The level of development and proper management of the social housing sector is one of the tools for managing the country's finances that affect the country's financial situation (Gentsoudi, 2023).In addition, the correct use of finances increases social indicators and reduces financial risks in the construction of residential social buildings (Prokopenko et al., 2023).Improper management of social housing can lead to distrust in the entire financial sector of the state.The financial literacy of the population itself affects its development and inclusion in state activities by influencing economic participation, fostering responsible financial behaviors, and ultimately contributing to overall societal well-being and stability (Didenko et al., 2023;Prabhakaran & Mynavathi, 2023;Mustafa, 2024).A financially knowledgeable person will be able to properly manage his finances and, in the long run, manage them for business development, thereby contributing to economic growth and stability on both individual and societal levels.
According to Kuzior et al. (2022), there is a connection between the level of health of the population and the development of the sector of socially affordable housing.Kolomiiets et al. (2023) considered social housing within the framework of the development of the social health system.The issue of social housing development is also frequently discussed while studying issues related to the physical and mental health of the population (Pozovna et al., 2023).Given the limited supply of housing, it is becoming sessential to ensure that existing housing stock is of adequate quality and that energy efficiency standards are introduced in new housing stock; however, sanitary standards are no less important (Gentle, 2023).Awojobi (2022) discovered that the quality of housing directly affects the physical and mental health of its inhabitants.The development of social housing and the reform of the health system should be considered comprehensively and interconnectedly when implementing the economic and social policies of the country (Lyeonov et al., 2021).Thus, future policies must recognize the fragmentation of the domestic housing market and develop solutions for both areas with low and high housing demand.The implementation and adoption of such standards (especially in health and energy efficiency) will have a positive impact on reducing energy shortages, promoting healthy lifestyles, and increasing productivity in schools and workplaces.
There is also a connection between economic growth and the social welfare of the population, which increases interest in the development of governmental management in the field of social housing (Zhuchenko et al., 2023).The development of an inclusive economy takes on a new meaning, as many countries around the world have begun to pay more attention to the individual needs of people.Innovative technologies support social development by connecting the community, including the community of people with below-average income who are in social housing (Saher et al., 2024).Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, social housing policy has taken on new importance to ensure social security (Awojobi et al., 2023).After all, an important function of the management of social housing is the support of the elderly (Oe et al., 2023), social security, and development of communities and social unity.Housing needs include seniors, youth (first-time homebuyers), middle-income families, and vulnerable and special populations (Kupenko et al., 2023).
The development of the social housing sector is also influenced by migration, which is a factor in increasing the demand for social housing.This has had a disproportionate impact on the housing sector because there is a need everywhere for safe, decent housing that is affordable at the lowest income levels.At the same time, labor migration is also of great importance.For example, in Germany, the majority of social housing is built and provided to labor migrants (Kuzior et al., 2020).Despite the possible shadow development of the economy, the social development of the country, including the development of social housing, affects macroeconomic stability in a positive way, equalizing employment indicators since labor migrants mostly live in such housing (Tiutiunyk et al., 2022).
The current challenges represent both a practical matter and an opportunity to redefine the sector, adapt to new housing market dynamics, and realize new goals such as energy efficiency and consumer-focused housing design.
The purpose of the current study is to structure the global scientific knowledge on governmental management in social housing as an element of the state's social policy, focusing on the following directions: 1) by the evolution of scientific thought; 2) by the complexity or conversely -concentration of research networks; 3) by the content-thematic orientation of research.

METHODS
As a methodological basis, the paper uses bibliometric analysis, which involves the analysis of quantitative and qualitative aspects of scientific productivity, communication, and the impact of research in social housing.
The first step was to identify the number of scientific papers in the Scopus database using the keywords "social housing" (6,315 scientific papers), where the authors, opinion leaders, and the number of their publications were determined using quantitative analysis methods.
The next step was to identify scientific papers using the keywords "social housing" AND "management" (919 scientific papers).For a deeper and more close relationship to the topic, scientific papers using the keywords "social housing" AND "management" AND "policy" (335 scientific papers) were selected.These data are used to present the analysis and visualization of the results.
The data analysis and visualization were performed using VOSviewer software, version 1.6.19 of the VOSviewer (Visualization of Similarities Viewer, VOS) software.Its metric analysis tool is commonly to present a visualized knowledge graph from data obtained according to literature analysis principles.
VOSviewer analyzed the data and created a network of relationships between authors, keywords, and other parameters that were selected for analysis.Data analysis displayed authors, keywords, and journals, using different colors or sizes of nodes to visualize their significance.VOSviewer allowed this study to perform cluster analysis of the network of authors, keywords, and topic groups.Clusters are rendered with distinct chromatic palettes and geometric configurations to facilitate easy differentiation.VOSviewer provides various options for customizing the visualization, such as changing node sizes and colors or displaying inter-cluster connections.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Scopus from Elsevier is one of the largest and most important scientific databases in the world, covering a wide range of scientific publications from various fields of knowledge, including natural, technical, medical, social and humanitarian sciences.
The first step was a quantitative analysis of scientific publications by various combinations of keywords: "social housing," "social housing," AND "management," as well as by the combination of "social housing" AND "management" AND "policy."This approach revealed 6,315, 919, and 335 scientific works, respectively (Table 1).Therefore, the study concludes that the social housing issue is widely researched; however, the issue of management of state policy in the field of social housing shows a significantly smaller number of studies.

Research request Number of works
"social housing" 6,315 "social housing" AND "management" 919 "social housing" AND "management" AND "policy" 335 For further research, articles using the keywords "social housing" AND "management" AND "policy" were taken, totaling 335 scientific papers.The first mentions in the Scopus database were recorded in 1983, and the rapid growth of scientific interest began after 1991 and continues to this day (Fig ure 1).
Investigating the issue of social housing policy retrospectively, the periods of large-scale construction of social housing were conducted mainly in Europe and North America in the second half of the 19th century and in the 20th century.In Great Britain, the first steps in the direction of social housing were made in the middle of the 19th century, when the government introduced a series of reforms to improve housing conditions for workers in cities, especially in large industrial centers (Sitishe et al., 2023).In the United States, public housing programs were developed at different times, including the Great Depression in the 1930s and after World War II.New Deal Programs in the US included the construction of public housing to support the population in difficult economic conditions.However, different countries started paying attention to social housing management depending on specific events and political decisions (Doroshenko et al., 2023).
Figure 2 shows the thought leaders and research networks of authors dedicated to social policy and social housing, e.g., Gruis, V., Nieboer, N., Milligan, V., Pawson, H., Walker, R.M. (Figure 2).The work of Gruis V. ( Searching "social housing" AND "management" AND "social policy" in the Scopus database revealed 17 scientific works, as well as such leading authors as Jacobs K., Rosenberg J., Amore C.S., Arthurson K., and Bergeron-Gaudin J.V. Jacobs K. focuses on the commitment of sociological translations that center on failure's verbose and regulating impacts; for illustration, as an instrument to progress administrative activity, the study suggests applying control or as an impediment to be overcome (Haman et al., 2022).
Rosenberg J. gives a rundown of proof of a neighborhood sense of well-being assembled from the populace of a shared resident-controlled lodging affiliation, compared at different levels with national and other comparator information (Rosenberg, 2012).The issue of administration within the state social arrangement, within the field of social lodging, is ineffectively inquired about, both subjectively and quantitatively, which decided the reason and assignments of this ponder.
Amore C.S. presents the inquiry about the program Minha Casa, Minha Vida -"Substances," one of the social lodging approaches propelled in 2009, as to its portion within the bunch of social welfare programs of the governments of Lula and Dilma Rousseff (Rizek et al., 2014).
Arthurson K. looks at a few of the key concepts and approaches surrounding the progressing talk about blended communities and lodging recovery arrangements around the world.This survey summarizes past positive and negative side impacts of social blend detailed within the extant worldwide writing (Levin et al., 2022).
Bergeron-Gaudin J. V. emphasizes the importance of social policy in social housing.Additionally, the study emphasized how the political cleavage around the national address has had long-term impacts on the energy of disputes in these two segments: instruction and the social lodging divisions (Dufour et al., 2020).
By fields of knowledge, the largest share is scientific works in the field of social sciences (over 41.4%), followed by the environmental sciences sector (22.2%), and the third place is occupied by the engineering sector with a share of 11% (Figure 3).Such results definitely indicate the need to study the phenomenon of policy management in the field of social housing and the existence of crosssectoral research in this direction.
The geography of scientific research is quite extensive and covers all continents.The leaders are the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, Italy, the United States, Canada, Colombia, Brazil, France, and Spain (Figure 4).
It is quite interesting that the United States is only in third place; besides, the leader of social policy in Europe -Germany -is absent among the leaders.This can only indicate the absence of scientific works from Germany in the Scopus database, but not their absence at all, because the country has one of the best social policies in the world, including the management of state policy in the field of social housing.In some cases, in Germany, the government may even set a cap on rent increases for social housing to ensure affordability for residents.
Considering institution distribution, the leaders are research institutions from the Netherlands (Delft University of Technology), Australia (RMIT University, UNSW Sydney), and the United Kingdom (Cardiff University) (Figure 5).The institutions of France, Italy, Colombia, or Brazil are not represented, which indicates that scientific works are published under the auspices of the institutions of countries other than those from which the authors of scientific studies are.A more in-depth qualitative bibliometric analysis allows one to visualize the content-contextual relationships between keywords, terms, and publications.Within the framework of this work, the VOSviewer 1.6.20 software was used to build bibliometric maps of clusters by the keywords "social housing," "management," and "policy," by co-authorship, by country, and by the relationship between keywords (Figure 6).
Investigating geographical connections, four clusters of countries cooperating with each other in researching the issue of policy management in the field of social housing were identified.The Netherlands, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, and France have the most extensive connections (Table 2).
A chronological analysis was conducted as part of the geographical distribution analysis.It showed

Cluster (color) Countries
Cluster 1 (red) The Netherlands, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Iran, Ireland Cluster 2 (yellow) The United States, Brazil, Norway Cluster 3 (blue) France, Spain, Sweden, Chile, Philippines, Mexico Cluster 4 (green) The Great Britain, China, Malaysia, Poland, Austria that the same countries that are leaders in terms of the number of publications (Great Britain, the Netherlands, and the United States) are also countries that started researching the topic relatively long ago, namely in 2012.Spain, Mexico, and Italy have allocated attention to the study of this issue relatively recently, since 2020 (Figure 7).It is worth stressing that this may be due solely to the picture in the Scopus database and not to the total number of studies.
The next step was to research the network of clusters of scientific works on the management of state policy in the field of social housing, formed by keywords.As it can be seen, the analysis of keywords among the selected scientific studies formed five clusters, each of which has its own vector (Table 3).
The largest, red, cluster included scientific works devoted to the study of social housing as a necessity for human existence, for the elderly, as well as the impact of poor-quality social housing on human health emphasizing the urgency of addressing housing disparities and ensuring access to safe and adequate living conditions for all individuals.
The second, green, cluster draws attention to the internal equipment of social housing, namely heating, the correct use of electricity, the importance of correct ventilation, and the correct management of energy sources.
The third cluster, blue, is devoted to the reactions of a person living in social housing, the peculiarities of his behavior and interaction with the surrounding world shedding light on the psychological, sociological, and anthropological dimensions of living conditions in such environments.
The fourth, yellow, cluster highlights management problems in social housing and social policy in social construction, indicating systemic inefficiencies and inadequacies in addressing the housing needs of vulnerable populations.
The fifth, purple, cluster gathered research on urban policy in the field of social housing, civil society, citizenship, and social mobility, with a focus on understanding the interplay between government policies, community initiatives, and individual rights, seeking to foster inclusive and equitable urban development strategies (Figure 8).All this covers the main directions in which state management in the field of social housing should be carried out as an element of social policy.This includes ensuring affordable housing for all groups of society, including low-income and vulnerable groups.As a result, the development of programs and initiatives should facilitate the process of obtaining housing, in particular through financial support or the provision of other benefits.An important addition is the provision of highquality housing that meets standards of safety, convenience, and energy efficiency, regardless of social status (Kuzior et al., 2021).State policy in social housing should support housing development that considers the needs of various population groups, including people with disabilities and families with children.
An important condition for this is the inclusion of communities in the process of policy development and implementation to ensure that it meets the real needs and expectations of local communities.At the same time, it is necessary to adapt policies to local characteristics and needs, as well as to coordinate policies between different levels of government to ensure consistency and effectiveness (Kuzior et al., 2023a).Given the impact of policies on different social groups and the correction of inequalities in access to housing, there is still a need to develop effective mechanisms for the use of financial resources to maximize social benefits in the social housing sector.
The state can promote partnerships with the private sector to attract additional resources.Ultimately, as with any policy, it is necessary to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the policy in order to make corrections and adapt to changing conditions.
The identified research clusters cover the main areas that can be related to social housing as an element of social policy.It is worth noting that, although five main clusters were identified, there is a connection even between the clusters, which shows the interconnectedness of keywords and scientific works.That is, it is impossible to consider policy issues in the field of social housing from only one angle.One way or another, the research can include a view of ecology and management -in the inclusion of all elements, the management of public policy in the field of social housing is seen.The next stage in this bibliometric analysis was the study of bibliographic coupling, which occurs when two works reference a common third work in their bibliographies.Great Britain and the United States have the most connections.The Netherlands, France, and Italy have relatively similar indicators.It can also be argued that bibliographic coupling in this topic occurs within the continent; that is, European countries cite more works from countries of Europe, America cites its neighbors, and Asian countries share their experiences among themselves (Figure 9).All this speaks of the connection of governmental management in the field of social housing as an element of the state's social policy of these countries.Accordingly, they may have similar social housing policies and similar public management.
Considering the issue of cited sources, which also publish most of researches on social housing, nine such journals are highlighted.The study of the social housing sector is a priority in social sciences and public social policy; it provides the foundation of life and, as a result, the foundation of the study of social indicators of the community and the country (Bhandari, 2023).
Most of the cited sources pay attention to social housing from the point of view of engineering and nature management.Developing a management plan for the social housing sector for smart cities can be a policy challenge, but over time, social housing will become an integral sector of smart cities (Kuzior et al., 2023b).Social resilience in different natural and political conditions increases in sectors where people live in social housing since this sector, with proper management, is more resistant to natural disasters and possible destruction due to military intervention (Kostenko et al., 2022).
The final stage was the analysis of organizations that most often conduct research of management in the field of social housing within the framework of social policy.Using the Vosviewer software, 13 organizations were identified, including institutions from Ireland, Great Britain, Spain, and Sri Lanka.Again, engineering and environmental departments predominate, but there are also departments that focus on funding and the financial problems that can arise in the social housing sector when it is mismanaged.
Considering scientific research that also includes bibliometric analysis, Saher et al. (2024) explored the relationship between inclusive economy and innovation using bibliometric analysis, which involves quantitatively analyzing publications in a specific field to identify trends, patterns, and relationships.However, unlike the current study, data from two databases were used for the bibliometric analysis: those of Scopus and the Web of Science, which makes the study broader and allows for a larger number of scientific papers to be examined.
Other software was also used for visualization, and the results of the study were supported by a visualization map using Pajek.It can be noted that the study is more general than focused on social policy and social housing.
Compared to this current study, N. Li and R. Li (2024) pondered 4,125 papers on lodging costs within the center collection database of WOS, not Scopus.Utilizing VOSviewer, this paper makes a bibliometric and visual investigation of the lodging costs from 1960 to 2020 and tests the lodging costs inquired about from five angles: time, worldwide participation, creator participation, and centers.In 2020, there were some changes in the market, so it can be assumed that analysis is not fully accomplished, as the period till 2023 is not covered.

CONCLUSION
The article provides a structuring of the global scientific knowledge on governmental management in the field of social housing as an element of the state's social policy, along the following lines: 1) by the evolution of scientific thought; 2) by the complexity or conversely -concentration of research networks; 3) by the content-thematic orientation of the research.
The study structured scientific publications according to the evolution of scientific thought and revealed the top 10 authors, including Gruis V., Nieboer N., Milligan V., Pawson H., and Walker R.M.They consider social housing as an economically important aspect for achieving well-being and meeting the needs of people with minimal income.Next, the paper structured articles by the content and thematic focus using the VOSviewer software.As a result, four clusters were established.This comprehensive approach underscores the multifaceted nature of social housing policy, addressing not only the physical infrastructure and energy efficiency but also the governance structures, social services provision, and the fulfillment of citizens' social and civic rights within the context of housing.
Further, the study structured publications by branching or vice versa -concentration of research networks.Thus, the largest share is occupied by social sciences (41%), followed by environmental (22%) and engineering sciences (11%).This distribution reflects not only the breadth of inquiry into societal dynamics but also the increasing recognition of environmental challenges and the pivotal role of engineering in social housing.The geographical analysis of the institutions most actively engaged in research on social housing and management showed the following leaders: the Netherlands (Delft University of Technology), Australia (RMIT University, UNSW Sydney), and the United Kingdom (Cardiff University).
This bibliometric analysis identified the main countries that publish the most scientific articles on the Scopus database.These are Great Britain, with almost a hundred studies; Australia, with about 50 studies; and the Netherlands, with about 20 studies.Regarding the organizations that conduct such research, the institutes in Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Australia are singled out.It is worth noting that the named countries are economically developed; therefore, they have the opportunity to invest in research.
As an example, Spain or Brazil, although among the top ten, show few studies on this topic.This facilitates the exchange of experiential knowledge pertaining to governmental administration within the domain of social housing, thereby accentuating its status as an integral component of the state's social policy framework.

Figure 1 .Figure 2 .
Figure 1.Changes in studying management of state policy in the field of social housing

Figure 3 .
Figure 3. Branch affiliation of scientific works on policy in the field of social housing

Figure 5 .Figure 6 .
Figure 5. Institutional affiliation of scientific works on governmental management in the field of social housing 0 5 10 15 20 25

Figure 7 .
Figure 7. Bibliometric network of co-authorship of scientific works on the management of state policy in the field of social housing: Cross-section of countries in time section

Figure 8 .
Figure 8. Bibliometric network of clusters of scientific works on the management of state policy in the field of social housing: Formed by keywords

Figure 9 .
Figure 9. Bibliometric network of clusters of scientific works on the management of state policy in the field of social housing: Bibliographic coupling

Table 2 .
Description of the clusters formed by the co-author countries

Table 3 .
Combinations of keywords in research clusters Future research endeavors should target Scopus, PubMed, and EBSCOhost to fortify the strength of the study's conclusions.For more profound experiences, consequent bibliographic investiga-tions should investigate extra critical sources of information, counting books and book chapters.Utilizing progressed techniques, such as clustering through bibliographic authoritative and collaborative inquiries about papers, is anticipated to improve the adequacy and profundity of future bibliographic studies.