The divergence between acceptability of municipal services and urbanization in developing countries: insights from Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi,Ghana

Abstract

In most developing countries, the provision of municipal services and infrastructure invariably fails to match the pace and demands of urbanization. The outcome is often increased informality due to improper planning, official bureaucratic barriers and perhaps insufficient and shrinking public resources, which then makes leveraging private capital for public service provision imperative. Drawing on in-depth qualitative fieldwork in two Ghanaian cities, this paper aims to extend literature on the divergence between service provision and urbanization in developing countries. More specifically, it attempts to qualify recent macro-level data indicating that access to water, sanitation and electricity services in Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi is improving substantively. Contrary to dominant policy narratives circulating in Ghana, we illustrate how the acceptability of key municipal services within urban settings is often inadequate, and how acceptability is tied to spatial and temporal factors. We then identify and examine the reasons underpinning these variations. Through exploring residents’ perceptions of key services, and examining critically the possibility and feasibility of meeting urban service needs through leveraging private resources, this paper contributes to broader academic debates over urban service provision, while also feeding into contemporary policy discussions concerning how to achieve several of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.     

Housing Policy for the Colonial City: The British and Dutch Experience Compared, 1901-19491

A comparison of the British and Dutch experience in the 20th century makes it possible to deepen our understanding of colonial urban housing policy, and hence of the colonial city in general. Both colonial powers expressed new concern about urban living conditions at the time when they began to promote colonial development. In the British case this began in the 1930s, largely in response to local unrest and partly because of international pressure. By the 1950s, British colonial governments used housing programs to placate nationalists and to help prepare colonial societies for self-rule. The Dutch undertook similar initiatives earlier, after 1901, by forming municipal governments, improving services in autonomous native settlements, and by bringing these kampongs under municipal control. Their initiatives were more a response to domestic considerations than to colonial unrest. The Dutch incurred expenditures beyond what Indonesians could afford, but were less active than the British in house-building. Their efforts flagged as nationalist sentiment grew. Neither colonial power responded directly to poor urban conditions. Although the colonial city might have existed, it did not shape colonial urban policy in a predictable way.     

上海城市废弃物增长的环境库兹涅茨特征研究

对上海1978～2000年人均GDP与城市废弃物增长数据的拟合计算表明,上海城区废弃物增长与人均GDP之间存在比较明显的环境库兹涅茨二次曲线特征。理论计算显示:上海城市废弃物环境库兹涅茨曲线的转折点为人均GDP约33441元,对应的城市废弃物达到相应的理论计算峰值约779万吨。上海的人均GDP在2000年已经达到34547元,相应的城市废弃物清运量为741万吨,略为低于理论拟合计算峰值;说明上海城市废弃物增长的演变在2000年前后的一段时期,总体已经处于环境库兹涅茨曲线的理论峰值转折点附近。可以认为,随着上海人均GDP的持续增长,今后一段时期内上海城市废弃物的总量增长会逐步减缓,而建立体现生产者责任的市场调控废弃物管理公共政策,将有利于加快这一趋势。     

Moving policy: global and local characters circulating bus rapid transit through South African cities

In this paper, I explore the variety of actors who circulate international best practice around the world. I trace the introduction and adoption of bus rapid transit (BRT) projects and policies across six South African cities through international and municipal policy actors, to expose the role of individuals moving policy within the messy and tangled process of policy circulation. The analysis demonstrates the particularly important role of local actors in localizing global practice. While cities may learn of circulated forms of knowledge through innovative and dynamic individuals, policy is adopted only through local actors with governmental support. This premise adds a critical dimension to the policy mobilities field by demonstrating that adopting localities are instrumental in cultivating a receptive ground for the application of circulated policy. Global best practice does not simply float around waiting to be selected, but rather local policymakers are actively seeking and transforming innovations such as BRT.     

URBAN GROWTH COALITIONS AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT POLICY: POSTWAR GROWTH AND THE POLITICS OF ANNEXATION IN METROPOLITAN COLUMBUS

The "political economy of place" has emerged as an important theme in urban research in recent years. Within this theme, scholars have highlighted the role of so-called urban growth coalitions in the creation of conditions favorable for urban economic development. Among their activities, growth coalitions may be interested in jurisdictional organization and, in particular, municipal annexation. This paper examines the conditions that have facilitated annexation as a postwar growth policy in metropolitan Columbus, Ohio, and the role of urban growth coalitions in shaping the policy. The policy has been effective to the extent that annexation to Columbus for municipal purposes has not included decisions on the transfer of school district territory.     

A Typology of Shared Service Provision in Australian Local Government

Disappointment with the results of forced amalgamation programs across almost all Australian local government jurisdictions has created great interest in shared service models as an alternative method of improving the operational efficiency of local councils, while at the same time preserving local democracy and local autonomy. While an embryonic literature on shared service provision in the Australian municipal milieu does exist, much remains to be done. This paper seeks to contribute to this nascent literature in two main ways: (a) to locate shared services in local government within broader global trends and theoretical disputations on devolution and local economic development, highlighting the importance of political geography in these debates; and (b) in the light of this complexity and ambiguity, develop a new typology of local government shared service provision to inform public policy making on real-world problems in Australian local government.     

中国西部大城市开发区企业投资决策的驱动因素——以成都、西安高新区为例

基于成都、西安高新区企业调研数据,在构建企业投资决策驱动指标体系的基础上,采用因子分析法考察企业投资决策的驱动因素,并运用单因素方差分析和相关性检验进一步探究企业异质性与投资决策驱动因素的关系。结果表明:(1)信息通信水平、获取高素质人才、人际关系网络等构成企业投资决策的关键驱动指标,而跨国公司集聚、获取自然资源、决策者偏好等指标的解释力度最小。(2)企业投资决策由6个维度因子构成,其重要程度由高至低依次为政策、产业集群与人力资源、城市环境、城市区位、企业集聚以及关系因子。(3)入园越早、规模越大、总部型及出口型企业均更加依赖政策驱动;私企与外企、一般服务业企业与高级服务业企业、部分迁移企业与非迁移企业、办公区企业与科技园企业、办公区企业与厂区企业分别形成了基本对立的投资驱动偏好。     

Streetvending in Peruvian Cities: The Spatio-Temporal Behavior of Ambulantes*

Informal trade is a historically rooted and empirically important livelihood in Andean America. This paper examines the spatial dimensions of informal commerce by documenting and analyzing the locational patterns and preferences of streetvendors and the locational constraints imposed on their activities in six Peruvian cities. The interplay of streetvendor needs and municipal exigencies is found to determine the spatio-temporal behavior of streetvendors. A fundamental shift in municipal policy to a more pragmatic attitude toward streetvending is noted.     

政策影响下上海市工业用地扩张与效益研究

2003 年以后,国家及上海市委、市政府相继出台一些遏制工业用地的粗放扩张政策,那么其控制成效如何,工业郊区化只是工业转移还是带来更好用地效益。针对这些问题,采用GIS空间分析、统计分析和边际效益建模等方法,探讨政策调控对上海市工业用地扩张的作用效果和对工业用地效益的影响,并提出相关政策建议。研究结果表明：上海市郊区工业用地扩张明显,空间上趋于分散,工业用地效益有所提升,但相比国外发达地区,仍存在较大差距;工业向园区集中的政策驱动效果明显,工业郊区化转移并未给中心城区工业带来衰败迹象,郊区工业也并未体现出相应实力,控制工业用地扩张政策效果不佳;工业用地边际效益分析发现,边际效益呈递减趋势,工业经济增长仍主要依赖于工业用地的增加,粗放型增长未得到有效改善。     

乡村旅游政策变迁影响路径的组态视角研究——基于黄山案例地的定性比较分析

在中国制度背景下,乡村旅游的发展与政策变迁紧密相关。论文采用多变量交互作用的清晰集定性比较分析(csQCA)方法,基于多源流理论探索乡村旅游政策变迁的动力机制,分析由组织/领导变更、乡村规划政策变更、本地文化政策变更、东道主居民参与以及旅游市场舆情组成的乡村旅游政策变迁影响的构型。研究发现：① 单项因素影响中,组织/领导的变更对文旅局层面的旅游政策出台产生了更大的影响力,东道主居民参与在市级政策的出台上产生了更大的影响力,但所有单因素均不构成乡村旅游政策变迁的必要条件;② 在可能形成的32条路径组合中,存在4个充分性条件的特定组合路径影响市级层面的乡村旅游政策变迁,3个充分性条件特定组合路径影响文旅局层面的乡村旅游政策变迁;③ 对于市级旅游政策变迁来说,乡村规划政策变更、旅游市场舆情和东道主居民参与具有同等重要的影响力,旅游部门的领导变更在组合中影响力相对较小;④ 对于文旅局层面的政策变更来说,组织领导变更、乡村规划政策变更、本地文化政策变更具有同等重要的影响力,东道主居民参与和旅游市场舆情在路径中影响较小;⑤ 多源流的政策变迁动力下旅游政策的效应涉及社会民生等多领域。研究可为未来政策研究领域的深入与政策制定提供参照。     

Decentralized Regulation and the “Race to the Top”: The Case of Municipal Saloon Licensing in Turn-of-the-Century Massachusetts*

The spatial spread of policies, usually studied with an emphasis on contagion and demonstration effects, can also reflect considerations of trans-boundary spillovers. The model of the “race to the bottom” criticizes decentralized regulation as inherently tending towards laxity because of competition among jurisdictions for business. There exists also the possibility of a “race to the top,” in which a fear of an influx of an activity being regulated elsewhere causes the regulation to spread. An analysis of turn-of-the-century Massachusetts municipal saloon licensing policy illustrates the latter phenomenon.     

Why majority-minority cities form: non-White municipal incorporation in the United States, 1990–2010

Forty-four majority-minority cities formed in the United States between 1990 and 2010. Why did these cities form in Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native-American majority and other non-White communities? Do these cities form to escape annexation, improve services, and control land use, as most new cities do? Or are other factors at play, such as race and social justice? Using a detailed content analysis, we explore the genesis of newly incorporated municipalities in non-White communities. Our findings reveal that while most majority-minority cities form due to standard stimuli, some majority-minority cities form in direct response to racism (rebound incorporations, environmental racism, and under-provision of services). Moreover, when compared to all new cities, majority-minority cities form more often due to nuisances and less often due to annexation threats and growth control, thus illuminating the role institutional racism plays in municipal incorporation.     

中国多维城市空间结构与地区收入差距

基于DSMP/OLS全球夜间灯光数据,衡量了1992-2013年市域、省域、省际3个维度的城市空间结构,分析其对地区收入差距的影响程度及作用机制。研究发现,市域维度上城市空间结构越集聚,地区收入差距越小,而省域及省际维度上二者关系相反,城市空间结构越集聚、地区收入差距越大。同时考察了对应维度上的产业结构特征、人力资本水平、外商投资比重、政府财政支出、固定资产投资对上述关系的影响。结果发现,非中心城市的二产比重、人力资本水平、外商投资比重越高,对应维度上的地区收入差距越小,而政府财政支出和固定资产投资在不同维度上的作用不尽一致。     

Financial inclusion, universal banking and post offices in Britain

The causes and consequences of financial exclusion have become a policy concern in Britain in recent years. This paper analyses policy discourses around financial exclusion and considers the (social and economic) geographical issues surrounding one particular policy response – universal banking services. It examines the policy background which led to the introduction of these services, and the institutional role of the Post Office, before discussing their potential social and spatial consequences.     

广州信息密集服务业的空间发展及其对城市地域结构的影响

采用第三产业普查资料,深入分析了改革开放以来广州信息密集服务业的发展水平,空间发展特征和原因及其对城市地域结构的影响,揭示了信息密集服务业发展与城市地域运动的关系。     

改革开放以来香港生产性服务业对广州同行业的影响

香港的生产性服务业发展水平高于广州,广州的生产性服务业发展处于香港同行业的发展阴影区内。本文从实证调查入手,通过对生产性服务企业和制造业企业的分析,指出香港的生产性服务业对广州同行业发展的负面影响不大,并从供给和需求角度分析了其中的原因。进一步地,根据区域发展的需求、市场需求的层次差异以及穗港生产性服务业的发展水平,提出了穗港生产性服务业的协调互补发展思路。     

The Variegated Landscape of Local Immigration Policies in the United States

Hundreds of municipalities and counties across the United States have proposed or implemented immigration policies at the local level, ranging from "sanctuary" policies to those designed to exclude undocumented immigrants. Data collected on these policies are presented, and statistically analyzed at the municipal level to interrogate existing hypotheses about factors driving these policy decisions. Municipalities experiencing rapid growth of their foreign-born population and with a high percentage of owner-occupied housing are more likely to introduce exclusionary policies, whereas municipalities with better educated populations are more likely to adopt inclusionary policies. The location of municipalities in the U.S. South and outside central cities is also associated with exclusionary policies. Textual analysis of policy documents for selected municipalities provides insight into why similarly located places adopt contrasting policies. Local ordinances reflect contrasting local imaginaries of race, nation, and place.     

Waste interfaces: biodegradable waste, municipal policy and everyday practice

Recent years have seen a rapid rise in the political saliency of the ever growing volumes of municipal waste produced in the UK. In this paper, we examine how one particular part of the municipal waste stream – biodegradable waste – has come under the policy spotlight. As targets to divert biodegradable waste from landfill under the Landfill Directive come into force, the need to focus explicitly on recovering value from biodegradable materials has risen up national and local policy agendas, not least with the introduction of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme. Accompanying this new rationality for managing waste has been a suite of different policy interventions. In this paper we examine the impact of the changing nature of municipal waste policy and the ways in which it has sought to rework the disposal and collection of biodegradable waste. We argue that the predominantly technical framing and instrumental rationality of these interventions does not sufficiently challenge entrenched understandings regarding the boundaries between public and private responsibility for waste, and thus short-circuits their capacity to engage with everyday community/individual waste practices. In conclusion, we suggest that, in order to move waste management towards sustainability, there is a need both to engage with the institutional and infrastructural dimensions of the systems of provision within which waste management occurs, and to take seriously the everyday contexts within which making waste is practiced.     

转型期城市居住用地更新的空间加密化研究——广州市金花街改造再考

选择具有代表性的广州市金花街改造项目（1988~2003年）为案例研究对象,分析了政府主导下改造方案的调整过程和改造空间特征,探讨居民诉求和政府旧改政策对旧城空间的影响。研究表明：金花街居民的原地安置诉求和城市政府依此设计的以民生为导向的改造安排,乃是影响旧城空间的重要原因;在准市场化融资方式和福利化拆迁安置方式下,城市政府提出的有关提供公共服务设施、解决居民临时安置问题和让居民原地安置的要求,使改造规划多次提高改造容积率,以保持改造经济平衡;改造后的金花街在房屋和人口两个维度呈现空间加密化的态势,即存在原地安置房叠加融资商品房、原地安置居民叠加购房迁入居民的社会空间现象,金花街改造并未出现以外来中产人口大规模替代原住低收入人口为基本特征的绅士化过程。最后,从引入转让开发权和鼓励微改造两方面对当前广州的旧城改造提出政策建议。     

政策视角下的粤港澳大湾区空间关联分析与协同发展政策机制优化

文章收集了428份由公共部门发布的粤港澳大湾区协同发展政策,根据政策主体拓扑关系测度城市间的大湾区协同政策供给强度,绘制基于协同发展政策关系的大湾区空间联系格局,结果发现：1）单向惠港惠澳的政策措施是当前主要的政策供给方向;2）政策供给高度集中于公共服务与产业领域;3）区县及以下层级和地方专业部门尚未充分进入大湾区协同发展政策网络;4）港、澳、广、深四大中心城市与大湾区其他主体间的政策关系与空间联系方式各异;5）大湾区城市间的政策联系在都市圈尺度内互动频密,跨都市圈政策联系相对松散。最后,提出以下建议：粤港澳大湾区可进一步加强邻域城市、邻域区县、专业部门间以及广深2个中心城市之间的双向政策联动,统筹对港、对澳政策,使得政策供给进一步适应大湾区的治理结构。