Translating Policies into Informal Settlements' Critical Services: Reframing, Anchoring and Muddling Through

Abstract

Summary This paper examines how policies and plans are translated into informal settlements' practice. It builds on literature on policy implementation practice and organization studies, and more particularly, it applies the concepts of reframing, anchoring and muddling through. The paper is informed by the case of Kisumu City in Kenya and its Kisumu Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan and its implementation on Kisumu's informal settlements. The plan was funded by the Swedish International Development Agency through the United Nations Human Settlement Programme and implemented from 2007 to 2009. The study is based on action research carried out by a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary group of researchers, through focus groups, participatory workshops, collaborative action, in‐depth interviews, document analysis and observations. The paper examines what original aspects of Kisumu Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan were translated, that is, which ones faded out and which ones became stabilized into and travel as ‘best practices’ to other locations. The paper shows how the generation of ‘best practices’ can be loosely coupled with the practices that policy seeks to change. It concludes, in line with previous research in the field, how successful policy implementation is based on cultural and political interpretations rather on evidence of improved practices. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The wicked problem of waste management: An attention-based analysis of stakeholder behaviours

“…Some projects have also engaged residents and waste pickers in collaborative development of basic services with local governments (e.g. Zapata Campos and Zapata, 2013 ), yet many challenges are faced by these types of projects ( Kain et al, 2016 ).…”

“…Previous efforts have attempted to engage a wide set of stakeholders in the development of waste strategies in Kisumu. Nevertheless, both policy and research raise concerns about the limited impact that policies have achieved in practice ( Kain et al, 2016 ). Kain et al (2016) highlight how a mismatch of views about waste may contribute to the problem.…”

“…Nevertheless, both policy and research raise concerns about the limited impact that policies have achieved in practice ( Kain et al, 2016 ). Kain et al (2016) highlight how a mismatch of views about waste may contribute to the problem. Through analysis of the effects of a plan for waste management in Kisumu, they inferred that policy developers' reframing of waste, from a dirty problem into a resourceful service, was not consistent with the views of other stakeholders, both those directly involved in waste management (such as waste pickers and residents), and those not directly involved (e.g.…”

“…These other stakeholders did not share the policy developers’ view of change, and some prioritised coping with other difficulties. Ultimately this hindered the anchoring of the Kisumu waste management programme in a fully successful fashion, especially in some informal settlements ( Kain et al, 2016 ).…”

Translating Ideas into Actions: Analyzing Local Strategic Work to Counter Violent Extremism

“…In some respects, the old institutions examined here were being used as resources when implementing the new ones. 108 For example, the defining and vesting work embedded in the studied material objects is anchored 109 in old institutions such as professional secrecy and the duty to report concerns about youth. Again, such work requires an advanced and sophisticated understanding of the institutionalized beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, rules, and behaviors guiding the everyday work of targeted groups, and of how CVE efforts can be integrated in these.…”