The Political Economy of Slums: Theory and Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

Fox, S. (2014) The Political Economy of Slums: Theory and Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa. World Development, 54. pp. 191-203.

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Abstract

Over 800 million people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America live in slums. Why? I argue that slums are a result of “disjointed modernization” and show that 70% of cross-country variation in slum incidence is explained by demographic, economic, and institutional factors. I trace the origins of disjointed modernization in sub-Saharan Africa back to the colonial period and show that colonial era investments and institutions are reflected in contemporary variation in slum incidence. I argue that status quo interests and the rise of an anti-urbanization bias in development discourse have inhibited investment and reform in the postcolonial era.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: slums; informal settlements; Africa; colonialism; urban development
Author Affiliation: University of Bristol, UK
Subjects: Social Sciences
Divisions: General
Depositing User: Mr Siva Shankar
Date Deposited: 23 Sep 2013 05:33
Last Modified: 23 Sep 2013 05:33
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2013.08.005
URI: http://eprints.icrisat.ac.in/id/eprint/11776

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