In the shadow of the city
Africa's urban poor in opposition strongholds
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4946924 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Donald Resnick (0000-0001-6285-3461, United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research, corresponding author), Danielle Resnick |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 141-166 |
| Publication date | 2011-03-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Modern African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-278X • E-ISSN: 1469-7777 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0022278x10000686 |
| OpenAlex | W1965062495 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 25 |
| References cited | 21 |
Sub-Saharan Africa is the fastest urbanising region of the world. This demographic transformation has occurred in concert with two other trends in the region, nascent democratisation and stalled decentralisation. Using the case of Lusaka, Zambia, this study argues that in the context of multi-party competition and limited fiscal decentralisation, the challenges posed by rapid urbanisation are exacerbated for the urban poor living in cities controlled by opposition parties. Semi-structured interviews conducted with local political actors are combined with a survey of 200 informal sector workers in Lusaka. This data reveals the tactics employed by the central government to weaken the popularity of the opposition in Lusaka and shows that from the viewpoint of the urban poor, such tactics ultimately prove counterproductive. The presence of similar dynamics in other African cities has important implications for aid modalities, such as budget support, that are currently used by international donors to fund development projects, including those in the urban sector
Decentralization · Democracy · Democratization · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Opposition (politics) · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Popularity · Sociology · Urbanization · African studies and sociopolitical issues · International Development and Aid · Public Administration · South African History and Culture
Housing insecurity and conflict in Nairobi
Contested urban spaces
From rural rebellions to urban riots
The urban-rural divide in police trust
The scope for low‐carbon development in Kigali, Rwanda
Fraught with Friction
Financing the inclusive city
How African cities lead
Comparing Climate Politics and Adaptation Strategies in African Cities
Opposing Power
Beyond Ethnic Politics in Africa
Engaging therapeutic citizenship and clientship
Contentious cities? Urban growth and electoral violence in Africa
The politics of informal settlements in African cities
Échec ou succès? Les stratégies de subversion et la gouvernance municipale au Niger
‘When we launched the government's agenda…’
Are armed conflicts becoming more urban
Not to the highest bidder
The urban land question in Africa
Migration, Urbanization, and Political Power in Sub-Saharan Africa
Contesting the growing city? Forms of urban growth and consequences for communal violence
Politics and social violence in developing democracies
Decentralization is Dead, Long Live Decentralization! Capital City Reform and Political Rights in Kampala, Uganda
Urban and rural voting patterns in Senegal
Beyond associations
The Limits of Decentralisation in Urban Zambia
Culture and Customs of Zambia
African Businessmen and Development in Zambia
Poverty and political conflict in Mombasa
The Millennium Development Goals and urban poverty reduction
Reconsidering Informality
Are Urban Poverty and Undernutrition Growing? Some Newly Assembled Evidence
Never mind the people, the shanties must go
Housing policy in Zambia
The "Labor Aristocracy" Debate in Africa
Institutionalization of Party Systems? Stability and Fluidity among Legislative Parties in Africa's Democracies
Of cabbages and King Cobra
Parties, Platforms, and Political Mobilization
New Evidence on the Urbanization of Global Poverty
Lusaka's Squatters
Urbanization and Kinship
| Citations per year | 1.79 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2012 - 2026 (15) |
| Highly cited | No |