“…Poverty levels increased, food prices escalated and households suffered from severe food shortages. Politics became central to urban governance as government tried to control urban localities that it had lost to the opposition (Muchadenyika and Williams 2016). It is during this period that Zimbabwe witnessed Operation Murambatsvina where government demolished informal sector activities, destroying livelihoods and the informal food sector that had become critical in urban food supply ).…”
Section: -2009: Fast Track Land Reform and Hyperinflation Eramentioning
confidence: 99%
“…This section entrenches the principle of devolution of powers from national to provincial and local governments (Mavedzenge 2012). In practice, however, power, control and decisions continue to be concentrated in national government, especially decisions on human resources, budgeting and revenue management (Muchadenyika and Williams 2016).…”
Section: Post-2009: Dollarization Era and The New Constitutionmentioning
“…Poverty levels increased, food prices escalated and households suffered from severe food shortages. Politics became central to urban governance as government tried to control urban localities that it had lost to the opposition (Muchadenyika and Williams 2016). It is during this period that Zimbabwe witnessed Operation Murambatsvina where government demolished informal sector activities, destroying livelihoods and the informal food sector that had become critical in urban food supply ).…”
Section: -2009: Fast Track Land Reform and Hyperinflation Eramentioning
confidence: 99%
“…This section entrenches the principle of devolution of powers from national to provincial and local governments (Mavedzenge 2012). In practice, however, power, control and decisions continue to be concentrated in national government, especially decisions on human resources, budgeting and revenue management (Muchadenyika and Williams 2016).…”
Section: Post-2009: Dollarization Era and The New Constitutionmentioning
“…Thirdly, developing a context specific 'power language' is a condition for coproducing actionable knowledge. Muchadenyika and Williams (2016) studied, for example, how power relations between political actors had changed in cities in Zimbabwe. As a result they depicted a contested political reality in which service delivery had become a source and resource for political agency.…”
This Perspective positions urban challenges in informal settlements in the Global South as a question of how to coproduce actionable knowledge for sustainability transitions, and how this relates to power issues. The aim is to inform those who are actively working on sustainability transitions in practice how to navigate the pluriform ways power matters in transitions. Also as a way to reflect on one's doings and as a starting point to develop research and/or policy programs that enable alternative solutions. This Perspective is based on fieldwork in three informal settlements in Kampala and focusses specifically on sustainability issues related to gaining access to, maintenance and control of water services. We highlight the importance of challenging dominant frames of places and communities, coproducing dynamic maps of power relations and interdependencies related to a specific urban challenge and taking into account the contextualized understanding of power relations within a political system.
“…Zimbabwe's GDP between 1998 and 2006 declined by 37% (UNDP, ). The divergence between urbanization and economic growth means that ‘local authorities were confronted with increased demand for services with limited returns from a receding economy’ (Muchadenyika & Williams, , p.266). The relocation and shutdown of industries severely affected local authority revenues.…”
Section: State Collapse Rapid Regression and Public Servicesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The magnitude of service delivery collapse is typified by a cholera epidemic which claimed over 4,000 lives (ICG, ); the highest fatality rate in Africa over a 15‐year period (Acemoglu & Robinson, ). Admittedly, in urban Zimbabwe, the urban governance crisis has led to service delivery failure (Muchadenyika & Williams, ).…”
Post-2000, the deterioration of Zimbabwe's socioeconomic and political conditions is widely acknowledged as phenomenal and unprecedented. Consequently, government and local authorities are struggling to provide basic services. At the same time, civil society initiatives are promoting transparency and accountability in service delivery. The article explains how civil society coalitions and citizens are promoting and demanding accountability in
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