Journal Special Issue
Urban Governance and Service Delivery in sub-Saharan Africa

This special issue comprises UNU-WIDER research focusing on key governance challenges related to addressing gaps in urban service delivery in sub-Saharan Africa. First, due to decentralisation policies in much of Africa, the provision of services is often transferred to sub-national authorities. But complex layers of administration and high levels of poverty deprive local governments of adequate resources. Secondly, opposition parties now control a number of African cities, a situation known as ‘vertically-divided authority’. Consequently, central governments do not always have an incentive to help municipal governments improve their performance. Case studies of Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda highlight how and when such dynamics become problematic for the delivery of urban services, and offer important implications for the donor community.

Table of contents
  1. Urban Governance and Service Delivery in African Cities: The Role of Politics and Policies
    Danielle Resnick
  2. Urban Service Delivery in Africa and the Role of International Assistance
    Richard E. Stren
    More Working Paper | Donor Assistance and Urban Service Delivery in Africa
  3. Opposition Politics and Urban Service Delivery in Kampala, Uganda
    Gina M. S. Lambright
    More Working Paper | Opposition Politics and Urban Service Delivery in Kampala, Uganda
    More Research Brief | Divided Authority in Kampala, Uganda
  4. Strategies of Subversion in Vertically-Divided Contexts: Decentralisation and Urban Service Delivery in Senegal
    Danielle Resnick
  5. Vertical Decentralisation and Urban Service Delivery in South Africa: Does Politics Matter?
    Robert Cameron
    More Working Paper | Vertical Decentralization and Urban Service Delivery in South Africa
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