Many developing countries are undergoing rapid urbanization which often outpaces affordable housing development, aggravating housing shortages. To address this, some governments initiate affordable housing schemes, aiming to provide low-income households with access to affordable housing. This thesis examines the impact of government affordable housing schemes on housing affordability in Rwanda, focusing on their distributional impact and their targeted households. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study analyses data from the fifth Integrated Living Conditions Survey (EICV5) to investigate income distribution, housing expenditure patterns, and expenditure-to-income ratios across different population segments and geographical regions. Complemented by a review of government policies and institutional frameworks, the study contextualises its findings within consumer theory, New Institutional Economics (NIE), and Housing Supply Value Chain frameworks. The analysis reveals significant disparities in income and expenditure-to-income ratios (EIR) among households across different deciles and geographical regions. These variations are shaped by factors such as household economic capacity, institutional frameworks, housing supply value chain, and regional population density. The study emphasizes the importance of strict eligibility criteria for beneficiaries of affordable housing units set by the government of Rwanda to maintain long-term affordability and prevent speculation in government-supported projects. However, variations in target beneficiaries, income requirements, and housing costs across the ongoing affordable housing projects highlight the complexity of defining and implementing affordable housing in Rwanda. Some projects target displaced households, while others target higher-income brackets, challenging the local definition of affordable housing. This master’s thesis sheds light on the distributional impact of government affordable housing schemes in Rwanda, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in ensuring housing affordability for low-income households amidst rapid urbanization and evolving housing dynamics.

The research for this thesis "Options for Developing a New Mid Micron Value Proposition for Consumers", is a part of a larger "New Mid Micron Products" project initiated by Mid Micron New Zealand Inc with the key goal of turning the Mid Micron Sector into a more vibrant and profitable one. The motivation for the project can be found in the dramatic fall in demand for New Zealand Mid Micron wool over the past decade. Two dominant causes for the fall in demand for Mid Micron wool were identified: the substandard skin comfort of final products made from Mid Micron wool, and a problem with the structure of the Mid Micron Sector. These problems are addressed in the "New Mid Micron Products" project that combines new product development and new marketing initiatives. Product development involved the use of new spinning technology to improve skin comfort quality and develop new products that are softer and prickle free. The aim is to extract more value for woolgrowers by having the wool converted into a higher value product. The new marketing initiatives, which were identified in this thesis research, Focusing On New Market Segments via E-Commerce and Reconfiguring The Value Chain, and concentrate on the operational issues of capturing the value from the newly developed Mid Micron products. Taking into account the nature of the overall Mid Micron Project and type of developed products, this research identified the Operational Excellence and Product Leadership models as alternative routes to develop a new Mid Micron Value Proposition for consumers. Operational Excellence, and the associated Cost Leadership strategy, is a low capital investment option, while Product Leadership and the associated Differentiation strategy is a high capital investment option. The models' principles and their elements, products, price and delivery to market, are evaluated in the context of the Mid Micron Business.