Beyond urban vulnerability: interrogating the social sustainability of a livelihood in the informal economy of Nigerian cities

Aba is a politically volatile, economically vibrant but environmentally poor city that is a microcosm of social conditions in the Nigerian urban informal economy. Hence, this study interrogates the social sustainability of waste picking in the city, using a hybrid of political economy and sustainabl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Review of African political economy 2015-06, Vol.42 (144), p.279-298
Main Authors: Nzeadibe, Thaddeus Chidi, Mbah, Peter Oluchukwu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African studies
Cities
collecte des déchets
durabilité sociale
Economic policy
Economics
Environmental economics
Green economy
green neoliberalism
Informal economy
Informal sector
Livelihood
Neoliberalism
Nigeria
Nigerian cities
néolibéralisme vert
Political economy
Safety
Social conditions
Social conditions & trends
Social sustainability
Studies
Sustainability
Sustainable development
Sustainable livelihood
Urban areas
villes nigérianes
Vulnerability
Waste management
Waste management industry
waste picking
économie informelle
économie politique
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Summary:Aba is a politically volatile, economically vibrant but environmentally poor city that is a microcosm of social conditions in the Nigerian urban informal economy. Hence, this study interrogates the social sustainability of waste picking in the city, using a hybrid of political economy and sustainable livelihoods frameworks to explicate social conditions of labour in the waste economy in relation to state/institutional policies. A mixed-methods approach was utilised, and findings indicate that a cocktail of conditions affect waste picking. A rise in waste picking was noted to be in response to neoliberal economic policies which removed social safety nets. Juxtaposing green neoliberal political economy with waste picking in Nigeria, the paper queries the continued neglect of the social dimension of the sustainability debate in informal waste management (IWM), arguing that social sustainability can be compatible with IWM, a neglected component of the 'new green economy' of Nigerian cities.
ISSN:0305-6244
1740-1720
DOI:10.1080/03056244.2014.997692