Community Development Journal 39:252-265
© 2004 Oxford University Press and Community Development Journal
Representation and responsiveness – urban politics and the poor in ten cities in the south
Carole Rakodi works at the International Development Department, School of Public Policy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
Address for correspondence: c.rakodi{at}bham.ac.uk
Economic liberalization, structural adjustment and globalization may have improved economic growth prospects in some developing countries, but even where growth has occurred, the gap between the rich and the poor has generally widened. Conditions for the urban poor have worsened in many places, especially in Africa. Structural adjustment, deregulation, commercialization and increased reliance on the private sector have reduced the scope or changed the nature of government intervention on behalf of the poor. The research on which this paper draws sought to explore how city governance affects urban poverty, by examining how the organizations, mechanisms and institutions of urban governance have addressed poverty, deprivation and inequality in ten cites in Latin America, Africa and Asia.