Go to AfricaBib home

Go to AfricaBib home AfricaBib Go to database home

bibliographic database
Line
Previous page New search

The free AfricaBib App for Android is available here

Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:'When we launched the government's agenda…': aid agencies and local politics in urban Africa
Author:Esser, Daniel E.
Year:2012
Periodical:Journal of Modern African Studies (ISSN 0022-278X)
Volume:50
Issue:3
Pages:397-420
Language:English
Geographic term:Sierra Leone
Subjects:capitals
local politics
local government
aid agencies
External link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/41653715
Abstract:Political realities in the capital cities of impoverished countries emerging from violent conflict illustrate how local actors can be hindered in conducting political affairs independently from the interests and influence of national governments as well as international agencies. This experience problematizes the argument that the main cause of political impasse in African cities governed by opposition parties is incomplete decentralization, whereby a devolution of responsibilities is not matched by a downward reallocation of resources. Although resulting competition constrains local governments' opportunities to deliver basic services, it is necessary to look beyond the national scale to uncover the drivers of institutional change and gauge the promise of donor-driven local political empowerment. Urban politics in Africa continues to be shaped by global aid discourses, which are translated into local policy frameworks through interest convergence between international and national actors. The case of Freetown, Sierra Leone provides an illustration of such macro-level alignment and resulting local frictions. At the same time, it also demonstrates how local politics have challenged the technocratic, apolitical reinvention of urban governance in the global South perpetuated by the international aid industry. Bibliogr., notes, sum. [Journal abstract]
Views
Cover