Suchergebnisse

Unemployment is a major problem in urban centres in sub‐Saharan Africa. The impact of policies associated with structural adjustment programmes has frequently meant major formal job losses in both the public and private sectors. Although it is widely recognized that there has been a major (further) shift into the informal sector, it is also often claimed that 'unemployment' rates have greatly increased. When it is also assumed that net rural–urban migration has continued at a rapid pace, this is believed to be a significant contributor to the rise in unemployment. However, because 'unemployment' and 'underemployment' are hard to measure and to keep discrete when studying urban Africa, it is apparent that there is much confusion over current levels and trends in unemployment. This article discusses the problems of analysing African urban unemployment, drawing in particular on a recent ILO report, and presents evidence from long‐term research on migrants in Harare which casts doubt on the extent to which net in‐migration is a major factor contributing to unemployment in contemporary, economically adjusting sub‐Saharan Africa.

A book review of A Resolvable Conflict? The Politics of Land in Namibia by Donna Pankhurst is presented.

Foreword -- 1. The Dilemma of Affordable Housing and Big Cities -- 2. Mismatches between Incomes and Housing Costs: A Global Condition -- 3. Affordable Urban Housing and the Role of Basic Standards -- 4. Private Sector Urban Housing Provision: Formal And Informal -- 5. Squaring the Circle: Social Housing Programmes and Affordable Rents -- 6. Squaring the Circle: Affordable Urban Homeownership -- 7. Global Finance, Big Cities and Unaffordable Housing -- 8. Broken Cities: Unaffordable Housing as the Norm? -- 9. Broken Cities, Broken Households: The Demographic Impacts of Unaffordable Housing -- Conclusion -- Appendix.