Urban Governance and Poverty— Addressing Needs, Asserting Claims: An Editorial Introduction

Introducing a special issue which reports on research on how governance affects the poor in nine cities in Africa, Asia and Latin America, the key components of the conceptual framework are sketched, the methodological approach described and the rationale for the choice of case-study cities outlined. Drawing on concepts of governance, household livelihoods, social capital and civil society, the research reported in the subsequent four papers compares findings from the city case-studies. The papers examine how the organizations, mechanisms and institutions of urban governance have addressed poverty, deprivation and inequality, and whether, how and in what circumstances poor urban residents have been able to make claims on the system. Using a case-study approach, the research attempted to identify and explain similarities and differences between the cities and to explain the governance arrangements and policies identified and their outcomes for the poor. The cities studied were selected to illustrate contrasts in both context and characteristics and are, therefore, used mainly as illustrative examples, as well as to review and refine the conceptual starting points and, where possible, to draw general conclusions.