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The divergence between acceptability of municipal services and urbanization in developing countries: insights from Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana

In most developing countries, the provision of municipal services and infrastructure invariably fails to match the pace and demands of urbanization. The outcome is often increased informality due to improper planning, official bureaucratic barriers, and perhaps, insufficient and shrinking public res...

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Main Authors: M. Oteng-Ababio, Ian Smout, Ebenezer F. Amankwaa, James Esson
Format: Default Article
Published: 2017
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2134/25169
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author M. Oteng-Ababio
Ian Smout
Ebenezer F. Amankwaa
James Esson
author_facet M. Oteng-Ababio
Ian Smout
Ebenezer F. Amankwaa
James Esson
author_sort M. Oteng-Ababio (7181318)
collection Figshare
description In most developing countries, the provision of municipal services and infrastructure invariably fails to match the pace and demands of urbanization. The outcome is often increased informality due to improper planning, official bureaucratic barriers, and perhaps, insufficient and shrinking public resources, which then makes leveraging private capital for public service provision imperative. Drawing on in-depth qualitative fieldwork in two Ghanaian cities this paper aims to extend literature on the divergence between service provision and urbanization in developing countries. More specifically, it attempts to qualify recent macro-level data indicating that access to water, sanitation and electricity services in Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi are improving substantively. Contrary to dominant policy narratives circulating in Ghana, we illustrate how the acceptability of key municipal services within urban settings is often inadequate, and how acceptability is tied to spatial and temporal factors. We then identify and examine the reasons underpinning these variations. Through exploring residents’ perceptions of key services, and examining critically the possibility and feasibility of meeting urban service needs through leveraging private resources, this paper contributes to broader academic debates over urban service provision, while also feeding into contemporary policy discussions concerning how to achieve several of the SDGs by 2030.
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institution Loughborough University
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spelling rr-article-94826152017-05-29T00:00:00Z The divergence between acceptability of municipal services and urbanization in developing countries: insights from Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana M. Oteng-Ababio (7181318) Ian Smout (1247745) Ebenezer F. Amankwaa (7183619) James Esson (1251066) Other earth sciences not elsewhere classified Water Sanitation Electricity Accra Sekondi-Takoradi Ghana Earth Sciences not elsewhere classified In most developing countries, the provision of municipal services and infrastructure invariably fails to match the pace and demands of urbanization. The outcome is often increased informality due to improper planning, official bureaucratic barriers, and perhaps, insufficient and shrinking public resources, which then makes leveraging private capital for public service provision imperative. Drawing on in-depth qualitative fieldwork in two Ghanaian cities this paper aims to extend literature on the divergence between service provision and urbanization in developing countries. More specifically, it attempts to qualify recent macro-level data indicating that access to water, sanitation and electricity services in Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi are improving substantively. Contrary to dominant policy narratives circulating in Ghana, we illustrate how the acceptability of key municipal services within urban settings is often inadequate, and how acceptability is tied to spatial and temporal factors. We then identify and examine the reasons underpinning these variations. Through exploring residents’ perceptions of key services, and examining critically the possibility and feasibility of meeting urban service needs through leveraging private resources, this paper contributes to broader academic debates over urban service provision, while also feeding into contemporary policy discussions concerning how to achieve several of the SDGs by 2030. 2017-05-29T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 2134/25169 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/The_divergence_between_acceptability_of_municipal_services_and_urbanization_in_developing_countries_insights_from_Accra_and_Sekondi-Takoradi_Ghana/9482615 CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
spellingShingle Other earth sciences not elsewhere classified
Water
Sanitation
Electricity
Accra
Sekondi-Takoradi
Ghana
Earth Sciences not elsewhere classified
M. Oteng-Ababio
Ian Smout
Ebenezer F. Amankwaa
James Esson
The divergence between acceptability of municipal services and urbanization in developing countries: insights from Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana
title The divergence between acceptability of municipal services and urbanization in developing countries: insights from Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana
title_full The divergence between acceptability of municipal services and urbanization in developing countries: insights from Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana
title_fullStr The divergence between acceptability of municipal services and urbanization in developing countries: insights from Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana
title_full_unstemmed The divergence between acceptability of municipal services and urbanization in developing countries: insights from Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana
title_short The divergence between acceptability of municipal services and urbanization in developing countries: insights from Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana
title_sort divergence between acceptability of municipal services and urbanization in developing countries: insights from accra and sekondi-takoradi, ghana
topic Other earth sciences not elsewhere classified
Water
Sanitation
Electricity
Accra
Sekondi-Takoradi
Ghana
Earth Sciences not elsewhere classified
url https://hdl.handle.net/2134/25169