Inside Poverty and Development in Africa

When discussing development issues in Africa, it is not sufficient to simply stress the ubiquity of failure, malnutrition, disease, predatory states and war; one also has to recognize that important aspects in the lives of millions of ordinary people have been transformed over the last five decades. The contributions in this book are rooted in extensive empirical research at local, regional and/or national level in different African countries (Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, South Africa and Uganda), while some take a pan-African view. All, however, offer insight from different analytical perspectives into the heterogeneity of poverty and development processes in Sub-Saharan Africa and confront the ideas, concepts and assumptions that lie behind pro-poor policies. The volume also encourages policy makers to choose realistic policy prescriptions in an attempt to move people out of poverty.

Marcel Rutten is a geographer at the African Studies Centre. Since the early 1980s he has conducted longitudinal research on land tenure, water development, and tourism in Africa. His interest is also directed to Kenyan politics. Ongoing research comprises sustainable water infrastructure (i.e. shallow wells), and drought planning strategies among Maasai pastoralists. He is also involved in a comparative study of the development trajectories of four African and four Asian countries.

André Leliveld is an economist at the African Studies Centre. Since the late 1980s he has conducted research on (informal) social security arrangements in Africa. His interest is also directed to the effectiveness of development aid to Africa. Ongoing research comprises (micro) insurance in Uganda and community-based health insurance in Africa. He is also involved in a comparative study of the development trajectories of four African and four Asian countries.

Dick Foeken is a human geographer at the African Studies Centre, where his main research interests are urban poverty, urban agriculture and urban water supply in Africa. For the past ten years he has been involved in two major projects, the ‘Nakuru Urban Agriculture Research Project’ (NUAP) in Kenya and ‘Sustainable Urban Agriculture’ in Tanzania.

Review in: African Studies Review Vol. 53, no. 1.

‘The book is a welcome attempt to combine nuanced understandings of conditions and strategies of the poor with current policies seeking to reduce poverty. It documents convincingly that there is substantial room for improvement in internationally acclaimed policies like the International Fund for Agricultural Development’s “small-farmer” model of poverty reduction and the World Bank–promoted “Poverty Reduction Strategy” papers, as well as in policies of more national or even local origin such as natural resource management programs and urban by-laws. Moreover, several chapters are highly critical of the proposition that the formalization of property rights is of any help to the poor’.