From persuasion to evasion: anti -collective action and the making of affordable housing in suburban Chicago

Abstract

NIMBY—or “Not in my Back Yard”—opposition against renters has long defined segregation and housing markets in the United States. Recent years, however, have seen the rise of a new phenomenon: YIMBY or “Yes in my Back Yard” efforts, which have aimed to expand affordable housing supply for renters in lower-poverty places that have long restricted it. The clash between NIMBY and YIMBY poses a problem: how do actors effectuate change in markets where they face difficulties mobilizing and building coalitions? This article presents data on an example where developers have made demonstrable affordable housing gains: properties funded by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit have been widely built in suburban Chicago, specifically in lower-poverty areas. Drawing on interviews with the developers who build this housing, our findings show that developers often favor what we refer to as anti-collective action—tactics meant to sideline and circumvent audiences that developers deem unwinnable, rather than persuade or mobilize them. Findings therefore urge more attention to actors’ perceptions of the possibilities and limits of collective action—what we refer to as coalitional latitude—which vary by setting, and condition the choices and tactics that actors pursue. We explore implications for sociological work on the processes and conditions of change in economic fields.