Livelihood Strategies in African Cities: The Case of Residents in Bamenda, Cameroon
This paper analyses the livelihood strategies of residents in the city of Bamenda, Cameroon. It argues that the informal economy is not the preserve of the poor. Middle income households also play a crucial role. Informal economic activities permit the middle class to diversify their sources of income as well as accumulate capital. It examines the role of class in the informal economy and analyses the impact of policy on those involved in informal economic activities. The paper reveals that formality, informality and policy are intertwined, thus making livelihood strategies in cities complex.
THE STATE AND THE INFORMAL IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN URBAN ECONOMIES: REVISITING DEBATES ON DUALISM
Conceptualizations of the informal sector in terms of economic dualism have a long history, as have effective challenges to those conceptualizations. These are discussed in this paper, which then examines the dynamics of the urban informal sector in sub-Saharan Africa over recent decades, with reference to these theoretical conceptualization and other approaches. The paper then discusses the role of the state in relation to the informal sector, exemplifying in particular with reference to Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It also considers briefly the dynamics of rural-urban migration to African cities and the role of this in urban processes, including employment. Finally the paper offers a comparative perspective, from north of the Limpopo, on current debates and policy pronouncements about the informal sector in South Africa.
Political Developments: Some Conclusions and an Interpretation
When the political decisions and achievements of the post-Khrushchev Soviet leadership are considered as a whole, it is not immediately obvious that there is any pattern to them. It may, nevertheless, be useful to begin by devoting attention to some of the major policy tendencies and outcomes of the past decade, most of which have already been considered in greater detail by other contributors, before going on to enquire if any broad strategy underlying them may be discerned and to attempt to place the various changes in a broader political context.