Urban Governance Voice and Poverty in the Developing World

Nick Devas

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN: 9781136549298
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Urban Planning & Landscaping

Poverty and governance are both issues high on the agenda of international agencies and governments in the South. With urban areas accounting for a steadily growing share of the world's poor people, an international team of researchers focused their attention on the hitherto little-studied relationship between urban governance and urban poverty.

In their timely and in-depth examination of ten cities in Africa, Asia and Latin America, they demonstrate that in many countries the global trends towards decentralization and democratization offer new opportunities for the poor to have an influence on the decisions that affect them. They also show how that influence depends on the nature of those democratic arrangements and decision-making processes at the local level, as well as on the ability of the poor to organize.

The study involved interviews with key actors within and outside city governments, discussions with poverty groups, community organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as analyses of data on poverty, services and finance. This book presents insights, conclusions and practical examples that are of relevance for other cities. It outlines policy implications for national and local governments, NGOs and donor agencies, and highlights ways in which poor people can use their voice to influence the various institutions of city governance.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Photographs
• List of Figures, Tables and Boxes
• The Research Team
• About the Authors
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• List of Acronyms and Abbreviations
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Urban Poverty and Governance in an Era of Globalization, Decentralization and Democratization
• 3. Economic Growth, Urban Poverty and City Governance
• 4. Surviving in the City: Livelihoods and Linkages of the Urban Poor
• 5. Urban Politics: Exclusion or Empowerment?
• 6. Urban Government: Capacity, Resources and Responsiveness
• 7. Civil Society Organizations: Do They Make a Difference to Urban Poverty?
• 8. Regulating the Informal Sector: Voice and Bad Governance
• 9. Accessing Land and Services: Exclusion or Entitlement?
• 10. Conclusions: Urban Governance, Voice and Poverty
• Annex 1. Research Methodology
• Annex 2. Urban Governance, Partnerships and Poverty Research Working Papers
• References
• Index