Urban poverty and policy in Africa

Jeremy Seekings

Chapter 3 in A Modern Guide to Urban Poverty, 2026, pp 68-88 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Whilst poverty has historically been a largely rural phenomenon across most of Africa and cities remain sites of relative opportunity, rapid urbanisation and deagrarianisation have begun to generate significant urban poverty and precariousness. Informal employment, politics and social relationships allow urban residents to manage their lives but also inform and constrain how states respond. Political elites in many countries regard their urban populations with ambivalence if not hostility. Forbearance, punctuated by episodes of repression, is widespread. It is rare for economic or social policies to prioritise the urban poor.

Keywords: Urbanisation; Deagrarianisation; Social Protection; Forbearance; Informality; Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781800889682
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