Governance for Pro-Poor Urban Development

Reviews / Votes

"...I consider this work a testament of exemplary scholarship. The analyses and arguments are clear while the surveys are insightful and workmanlike. The closing commentaries and conclusions are logical, insightful and especially informative. I find the content and presentation to be original and constitute a significant contribution to the extant body of knowledge on the political economy of urbanization not only in Ghana but also Africa and the developing world in general." - Ambe J. Njoh, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.

"...It is a solid piece of research and an excellent synthesis of the literature...The work is very strong in deploying a meso level analysis to understanding various policy arenas. A major contribution ...is that it understands and links a meso level political economy lens with a meso level urban analysis....It is very impressive how widely read the author is and how deep an understanding he has of diverse literatures. ...His command and grasp of the literature is truly breathtaking and outstanding." - Richard Grant, Professor of Geography and Regional Studies and Director of Urban Studies, University of Miami, USA

"Given the recent emphasis on and popularisation of the concept of urban governance, this [book] makes a substantial and original contribution to debates on its usefulness and its effectiveness, notably through the detailed case-study of Ghana and through the application of a political economy perspective by which to undertake the analysis and evaluation. An important aspect of this originality is the development of an appropriate analytical framework through combining elements of institutional and Marxist political economy." - Gordon Crawford, Professor of Development Politics, University of Leeds, UK. "...I consider this work a testament of exemplary scholarship. The analyses and arguments are clear while the surveys are insightful and workmanlike. The closing commentaries and conclusions are logical, insightful and especially informative. I find the content and presentation to be original and constitute a significant contribution to the extant body of knowledge on the political economy of urbanization not only in Ghana but also Africa and the developing world in general." - Ambe J. Njoh, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.

"...It is a solid piece of research and an excellent synthesis of the literature...The work is very strong in deploying a meso level analysis to understanding various policy arenas. A major contribution ...is that it understands and links a meso level political economy lens with a meso level urban analysis....It is very impressive how widely read the author is and how deep an understanding he has of diverse literatures. ...His command and grasp of the literature is truly breathtaking and outstanding." - Richard Grant, Professor of Geography and Regional Studies and Director of Urban Studies, University of Miami, USA

"Given the recent emphasis on and popularisation of the concept of urban governance, this [book] makes a substantial and original contribution to debates on its usefulness and its effectiveness, notably through the detailed case-study of Ghana and through the application of a political economy perspective by which to undertake the analysis and evaluation. An important aspect of this originality is the development of an appropriate analytical framework through combining elements of institutional and Marxist political economy." - Gordon Crawford, Professor of Development Politics, University of Leeds, UK.

"The book provides a better understanding of urbanization in Ghana, pulling together in a single volume the many different and complex aspects of the phenomenon. Researchers, students, practitioners, and policymakers interested in urban development in Ghana and Africa will certainly find this book a useful resource." - George Owusu, Department of Geography & Resource Development, and Institute of Statistical, Social & Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana

"[T]he book is a brilliant, thoughtfully-produced and pragmatic depiction of the urban challenge in Ghana and the failure of neoliberal driven urban governance policies in addressing it. The extensive coverage given to urban employment, poverty and inequality, health and sanitation, transport, housing and land, in particular, makes the book a valuable read. I am convinced that I will be returning to Governance for Pro-Poor Urban Development: Lessons from Ghana frequently as a reference text. Students, researchers and policy makers in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Afric also stand to benefit from the issues that have been excellently articulated. The book is highly recommended." - UrbanAfica, Robert Lawrence Afutu-Kotey, University of Professional Studies, Ghana

"[T]he book is solid in its analysis and a valuable contribution to understand contemporary local government and urbanization in Africa. It is a publication not to be missed for those who want to think about the urban future of African countries, which are, together with India and Indonesia, the next wave of a large scale of urbanization." - Jose A. Puppim de Oliveira, Public Administration and Development