Migration, Urbanization, and Political Power in Africa

Abstract

Why - given the pace and intensity of urbanization occurring throughout the continent - do urban conditions continue to deteriorate and national political programs remain fixed on rural development? Perceptions of 'rural bias' and the lack of 'urban' improvement programs are largely related to the political calculations of incumbents, the administrative facade of decentralization, and poor, fragmented contests in democratic elections. The brief presents a general introduction to internal African mobility, followed by an assessment of the high and increasing urban risks. It concludes that the poor state of urban cities will continue if migrants, the urban poor, and opposition parties cannot raise support to alter the political calculations of leaders.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA613114

Entities

People

  • Clionadh Raleigh

Organizations

  • University of Texas at Austin

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Africa
  • Communities
  • Continents
  • Droughts
  • Elections
  • Employment
  • Environmental Security
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Infrastructure
  • Military Research
  • National Governments
  • Natural Disasters
  • Political Systems
  • Rural Areas
  • Security
  • Urban Areas

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution
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