Playing by the rules? New institutionalism, path dependency and informal settlements in Sub-Saharan Africa

Bibliographic Data

ID4141265
AuthorsNicky Morrison (0000-0001-6774-5945, University of Cambridge, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume49
Issue11
Pages2558-2577
Publication date2017-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEnvironment and Planning A Economy and Space (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0308-518X • E-ISSN: 1472-3409
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0308518x17730581
OpenAlexW2761819628
LanguageEN
Citations received24
References cited22

The scale of contemporary urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa has culminated in the proliferation of informal settlements, with governments claiming a legitimate right to remove them. Drawing on new institutionalism as a conceptual framework and presenting the case of Old Fadama, an informal settlement within central Accra in Ghana, this paper sheds light on the way in which both formal and informal rules shape these legally unauthorized spaces. Using the analogy of a game, the author devises a novel typology to highlight the way in which different players maximize their personal advantage from maintaining the status quo. The paper concludes that as long as different interests are served by the existing socio-political arrangements then path dependency will endure, with government officials as the dominant playmaker in the locality ultimately controlling the rules and pace of the game

Analogy · Clientelism · Democracy · Economic growth · Economic system · Economics · Geography · Historical institutionalism · Human settlement · Institutionalism · New institutionalism · Pace · Path dependency · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Restructuring · Sociology · Status quo · Typology · Urbanization · Computer Science · Land Rights and Reforms · Law · Urban and Rural Development Challenges · Urban Planning and Governance

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