No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Shadow men: The third wheel of public transport in Ghana
Abstract
The literature on urban transport in Ghana focus exclusively on the state of buses, drivers and transport unions, much to the neglect of a group of workers referred to as “shadow men.” Their function is to help fill these buses with passengers. This paper explores the activities of these shadow men, their origin, and their contributions to the growth of urban transport. The researchers selected a total of 47 respondents for the study. The researchers conducted interviews with the Head of Department of Urban Transport of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and the Head of Ghana Private Road Transport Union, and then purposely selected 25 of these shadow men, 4 trotro drivers, 6 trotro mates, and 10 passengers in Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city. In addition to these interviews, the researchers held two focus group discussions that involved drivers and drivers’ mates (conductors) in one group, and passengers in another group. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The research found that there are two broad categories of shadow men: those engaged in it as a full-time business, and out-of-work drivers and drivers’ mates who rely on it for income until they have a new bus to work with. The findings also underscore the lucrative nature of the work and the city authorities’ indifference to the shadow men. Shadow men are essential to the urban transport sector in Ghana and should therefore be given considerable attention by academics, and included in the plans of city authorities.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
Recent estimates indicate a steady growth in urban informal settlements as part of the urbanization and urban growth process occurring in most cities in Africa. In spite of the reality of this situation, the common understanding of urban informality is varied and often negative. This paper, through a literature study, discusses general perspectives on urban informality in developing countries. It then focuses on urban informal settlements, reasons for its growth in African cities and what urban planning in Africa can learn from its persistence. We also argue that such learning can influence urban sustainable urban development. The paper emphasizes the need to reconsider dominant and conventional thoughts on informal settlements to embrace its inherent patterns and processes in Africa. The paper concludes that urban informal settlements, in spite of dominant negative narratives it has received, can offer important lessons for responsive, inclusive and effective sustainable urban planning strategies in African cities.
Africa has not been spared the socioeconomic effects of Covid-19. But with a different socioeconomic setup where informality takes the center stage, the effects of the pandemic in Africa is like no other continent. The neo-liberal approach to informality on the continent meant that the informal sector’s contribution to development was largely neglected. Specifically in Ghana, city authorities have been preoccupied with displacing informality or absorbing it into the formal sector. Consequently, the state had weak social safety nets for informality. Ironically, how well Ghana will do in the face of the pandemic now lies in the hands of the seemingly neglected informal sector. Like the case of the rejected stone, the road to Ghana’s socioeconomic recovery rests on the informal sector. This paper discusses the concept of informality during a pandemic, the economic power that rests in the hands of informal workers, and their neglect by city authorities that demonstrates the need for governments to reform its regulations regarding the informal sector during and after this pandemic.
Background
High rates of motorization in urban areas of Africa have adverse effects on public health. Transport-related mortality will increase as a result of inadequate transport infrastructure, air pollution and sedentary lifestyles. Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) have proven to be a successful tool to predict and mitigate negative health impact of urban transport planning policies, programmes or projects. Yet, there is a gap of evidence on transport and health in African countries. The aim of this study is assessing the health impacts of transport scenarios in Port Louis (city of 119,018 inhabitants in Mauritius) using a full chain participatory HIA model.
Methods
We estimated health and economic impacts associated to transport scenarios with qualitative data and quantitative comparative risk assessment methods. The health impact modeling was based on differences between the baseline and three transport scenarios (worse, good, ideal), estimating the averted deaths per year and economic outcomes by assessing health determinants of air pollution (AP), traffic deaths and physical activity (PA). Data on air pollution and traffic fatalities were obtained from public data sources. Data used to construct scenarios, establish baseline travel mode shares and physical activity were collected through (a) open-ended individual interviews (IDIs) with 14 stakeholders (b) closed-ended survey questions to 600 citizens and (c) 2 focus group discussions (FGDs) with the same 14 stakeholders from (a).
Results
In Port Louis, the worse-case transport scenario (doubling in car trips and a reduction in walking, motorcycle, and public transport), resulted in a total increment of 3.28 premature deaths per year. The good-case scenario (reducing car trips by half and increasing walking, motorcycle, and public transport trips) resulted in a total increment of 0.79 premature deaths per year. The ideal-case scenario (reduction in car and motorcycle trips and an increase in walking and public transport trips) resulted in a total reduction of 13.72 premature deaths per year. We estimated USD 23 millions of economic benefits related to mortality if the ideal-case was achieved.
Conclusion
Participatory HIA shows that implementing transport policies aiming for less than an ideal situation may not be adequate or sufficient to avoid negative transport-related mortality in Mauritius. Urban transport planning is an opportunity to encourage physical activity in rapidly urbanizing settings of Africa. Transport policies should aim to restrict all forms of private motorized vehicles and promote active and public transport to support public health. We highly recommend the use of participatory approaches in quantitative HIA to ensure context specificity and policy relevance.
Informal sector activities are viable in reducing poverty among women in the informal sector (IFS). Yet, the full potential of IFS in reducing poverty among women may not be realised when women encounter challenges which could retard the attainment of United Nations poverty-related Sustainable Development targets. In Ghana, there is a paucity of studies regarding constraints faced by women in the IFS. The purpose of this study was to explore challenges faced by women in the IFS in Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana to inform policy direction. A sample of 356 women recruited through simple random sampling technique was involved in a cross sectional survey. The study found that 30.9% faced a myriad of challenges comprising inadequate customers, non-payment of debts, high taxes and license fees, unavailability of finance, lack of space, lack of capital equipment and difficulties with existing regulations. The study revealed significant association between age, education, family size and marital status regarding challenges with informal sector activities. The study established a statistically significant difference between spatial locations and challenges faced by women in the informal sector activity. Policy recommendations that seek to counter these barriers have been offered for implementation.
Across the Global South, the realities of urban informality are changing, with implications for how we understand this phenomenon across economic, spatial, and political domains. Recent accounts have attempted to recognise the diversity of informality across contexts and dimensions, as well as its everyday lived realities. Reviewing key debates in the sector, and drawing upon the new empirical studies in the papers presented here, we argue for a shift away from seeing urban informality narrowly as a setting, sector, or outcome. We suggest that reconsidering informality as a site of critical analysis offers a new perspective that draws on and extends political economy approaches, and helps us to understand processes of stratification and disadvantage. We seek to highlight the significance of the informal-formal continuum at the same time as challenging this dichotomy, and to explore emerging theoretical and empirical developments, including changing attitudes to informality; the increasing salience of agency; and informality as strategy both for elite and subaltern groups. © 2019, © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Generally, most studies on tourism in Ghana have laid emphasis on motivations and experiences of tourists, their preference for accommodation and restaurant facilities, and the quality of services rendered at these facilities ignoring a significant component of tourism, which is transportation. This paper examines public transport mode preferences of international tourists in Ghana. Primary data were collected from 479 out-bound international tourists at the departure hall of the Kotoka International Airport in Ghana between June and August 2015. The analyses of the study were done using frequencies, charts, chi-square statistic and multinomial logistic regression model. The study found that generic dimensions of transport services such as their affordability, accessibility, availability, safety and comfort influence public transport mode choice of international tourists in Ghana. Aside these factors, there were strong relationships between socio-demographic characteristics of tourists and their mode preference. It is therefore recommended that emphasis should be given to accessibility-based transport planning in order to help public transport provide quality services to meet the transport needs of international tourists.
Along with the advancement of the Internet in the last decade, researchers have increasingly identified the web as a research platform and a data source, pointing out its value for labour market analysis. This article presents a review of online data sources for this field. Specifically, the article introduces web-based research, focusing on the potential of relatively new data sources such as Google Trends, social networks (LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter) and Glassdoor (surveys). For these data sources, a review is done and recent empirical applications are listed. Web-based data can further our understanding of the dynamics of the labour market.
JEL codes : E4, J2
This paper evaluates critically the contrasting theorizations on informal economy. These include modernization, dependency, and Neo-liberalism and Structuralisms theories. These theories were examined against African informal economy by examining the issues of differentiation of informal economy, women in informal economy, subcontracting and supply linkages with the formal sectors and the role of state in the informal economy expansion. This paper argues that, given the structural and historical differences on emergence of informality between developed, Latin American and developing countries, caution needs to taken in applying these theories that heavily developed from Latin American experiences to African informal economy. In these theories, little consideration was given to the historical circumstances in which informal activities emerged in African countries. The paper concludes that informal economy in developing countries should be analyzed as social and historical processes rather than a sector that emerges as a result of crisis. What is needed is a theoretical framework that analyses the origin, causes and persistence of informality in African societies.
Informal settlements are urban neighbourhoods or districts that develop and operate without the formal control of the state, co-existing but not synonymous with 'squatter' settlements and 'slums'. The proliferation and resilience of such settlements has been phenomenal and half a century of state intervention has failed to halt their growth. They are so economically, spatially and socially integrated with their urban contexts that most developing cities are unsustainable without them, yet the desire to remove them persists and is linked to issues of urban imagery and place identity. In this paper we first analyze the predominant morphological types characterized by their typical infiltrations of the formal city. Primary among them are urban waterfronts and escarpments, but also the interstitial easements lining transport infrastructure and the deeper urban spaces behind formal streetwalls. From this necessarily simplified typology we proceed to open a series of questions about the ways in which the visibility and image of the informal sector play out within the formal gaze of the city. How do informal settlements emerge within different urban niches with different degrees of access and visibility? To what degree is the informal city invisible or imagined away? How do informal settlement types produce place identities? How does this sociospatial assemblage mediate the politics of urban spectacle, place branding, upgrading and eviction? How do (and how can) informal settlers use or transform their relative visibility or invisibility? These questions will be explored through specific cases in South and Southeast Asian cities.
Unemployment is often cited as a measure of the low employment content of Ghana's strong growth performance over the past three decades. The paper presents evidence to suggest that employment growth in Ghana continues to trail economic growth due to high growth of low employment generating sectors against sluggish growth of high labour absorption sectors. A cross-sectional estimation of a probit regression model also indicates a strong effect of demand factors on unemployment, indicating a weak employment generating impact of economic growth. Empirical analysis also confirms higher vulnerability of youth and urban dwellers to unemployment with education and gender explaining unemployment in some instances. Reservation wage is also observed to have an increasing effect of unemployment. The paper recommends policies that promote investment in agriculture and manufacturing which is associated with higher employment elasticity of output. High incidence of unemployment among the youth and secondary school leavers in the most recent period requires targeted intervention including support for entrepreneurial training and start-up capital to attract young school leavers to become ‘creators’ rather than ‘seekers’ of jobs. A downward review of expectations on the part of jobseekers in terms of their reservation wage could help reduce unemployment in Ghana.
It has now been more than 40 years since the fi rst attempts of defi ning and data collection on informal sector and informal employment on a large scale were launched in the early 1970s. Many debates paved the way for the international defi nition of the informal sector in 1993 and informal employment in 2003. The informal economy is finally a means for conciliating the two concepts and since the mid-1970s, national estimates of size (employment) and contribution (share of gross domestic product [GDP]) of the informal sector, and later on of the informal economy (and of its two major components: informal sector and employment outside the informal sector), have regularly been attempted and gathered on a large scale. This article is the most recent synthesis of these works. It is based on the recent compilations by the Bureau of Statistics of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the National Accounts Section of the United Nations (UN) Statistics Division
as well as on original national data. Employment in the informal economy is revealed to be as high as 58–70 per cent of non-agricultural employment at regional level (the informal sector representing from 50 per cent to 80 per cent of the informal economy) and the informal sectors contribution to non-agricultural GDP is from 25 per cent up to 50 per cent.
In this article, I describe how during my anthropological research in post‐conflict Sierra Leone with a disabled community, I was confronted by experiences of inequality and exploitation. Many disabled people had previous disabling contact with other researchers, organisations and journalists. Others described difficulties surviving the disabling socio‐economic conditions and were not viewed as ‘development’ partners, despite the fact that their images and stories had played a big role in the rebuilding and ‘healing’ of the Sierra Leonean nation state. I ask whether we as researchers and an international community are still not colluding with structures and institutions that exploit disabled people in post‐conflict and post‐disaster countries.
This paper develops a four sector equilibrium search and matching model with informal sector employment opportunities and educational choice. We show that underground activities reduce educational at- tainments if informal employment opportunities mainly are available to low educated workers. More zealous enforcement policy will in this case improve educational incentives as it reduces the attractiveness of remaining a low educated worker. Characterizing the optimal enforce- ment policies, we nd that relatively more audits should be targeted towards the sector employing low educated workers, elsewise a too low stock of educated workers is materialized.
Abstract
The introduction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on March 17, 2008 in Lagos, Nigeria has attracted several comments and studies from the media and academic world. Most of the studies focused on the impact of BRT on users’ mobility and traffic congestion in the city of Lagos. The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of accessibility of users to BRT bus stops in terms of distances, travel time and waiting time at the BRT bus stops. The study is based on a randomly selected set of 200 users of BRT in Agboyi-Ketu area of Kosofe LGA of Lagos state. The findings showed that, with respect to user’s proximity to BRT bus stops, the average distance walked to BRT bus stops is 0.36km. The analysis of modal choice to the BRT bus stops showed that 36.5% of the sampled commuters commute by motorcycles, 24.5% trekked to the bus stops, while 39% of the samples commute to BRT bus stops by other modes of transportation. Further analysis shows that significant variations exist between the travel time to and waiting time at the BRT bus stops and frequency of patronage of BRT. The study concludes that the introduction of BRT is the first step towards integrated transport and development in the city of Lagos. Further steps are necessary to: increase the number of BRT bus stops; to regulate and improve the service deliveries of other modes of transport for effective interdependence between the BRT and other modes.
In recent years, attention has been drawn to the fact that now more than half of the world's population is urbanised, and the bulk of these urban dwellers are living in the global South. Many of these Southern towns and cities are dealing with crises which are compounded by rapid population growth, particularly in peri-urban areas; lack of access to shelter, infrastructure and services by predominantly poor populations; weak local governments and serious environmental issues. There is also a realisation that newer issues of climate change, resource and energy depletion, food insecurity and the current financial crisis will exacerbate present difficult conditions. As ideas that either ‘the market’ or ‘communities’ could solve these urban issues appear increasingly unrealistic, there have been suggestions for a stronger role for governments through reformed instruments of urban planning. However, agencies (such as UN-Habitat) promoting this make the point that in many parts of the world current urban planning systems are actually part of the problem: they serve to promote social and spatial exclusion, are anti-poor, and are doing little to secure environmental sustainability. Urban planning, it is argued, therefore needs fundamental review if it is to play any meaningful role in current urban issues.
In the countries of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) population growth, urbanisation, and social change have resulted in rising and diversifying mobility needs of urban and rural populations alike. Moreover, this has stimulated the emergence of new modes of transport, for example the motorcycle-taxi (“moto-taxi”). While moto-taxis have been used for decades in some areas, they have seen massive growth in the past couple of years and they have expanded to other rural and urban areas in SSA. This has come with a number of benefits as regards securing public mobility and socio-economic effects. On the other hand, the growth of these often “informally” provided services has resulted in negative externalities, especially road safety issues. And this has fuelled public discussions on how to control and regulate these services. Within academia their growing importance has resulted in a significant number of empirical studies – including a large share of final theses/assignments – in the past five to ten years. These studies deliver valuable insights into different aspects of this transport mode. However, only few comprehensive overviews of moto-taxis and their service characteristics exist. This article aims to present a comprehensive summary of the role played by moto-taxi services in providing public transport options in SSA. Based on an extensive literature review it categorises and summarises insights into this transport mode that are covered by the reviewed studies. The topics include underlying factors of motorcycle-taxi growth, supply side and demand side aspects, service organisation, regulation, as well as safety, health and environmental impacts. As far as available insights allow, regional, as well as urban and rural service patterns are traced. On that basis, the article discusses implications for the debate on informal transport and identifies knowledge gaps that should be addressed by future research.
In this paper, I describe the monetary and time costs of commuting to work in South African cities, and how these have changed in the post-Apartheid era. I interpret these results in light of a paper by Brueckner, who used a simple urban model to suggest that location and commuting patterns by race could change as a result of the repeal of Apartheid era legislation such as the Group Areas Act that made it impossible for black South Africans to live near the centre of cities. A key finding is that monetary and time costs of commuting in South African cities are high and have increased in the post-Apartheid period. Journey times are much higher than the OECD country average and a sample of developing country cities. Part of the explanation for increasing average commute times is population growth in South African cities, which has been substantial. Both the population and number of commuters doubled between 1993 and 2013 in the six metropolitan municipalities (metros) analysed in this paper. Since commuting costs a substantial amount and generates negative externalities through congestion I also explore the financing of public transport.
Trotro vehicles constitute one of the major means of transportation in Ghana by way of ferrying people and goods. Most trotros are originally brought into the country as load carrying vehicles, which are then converted into passenger vehicles. Locally designed seats are then fabricated and secured into the vehicles. The study explored the ergonomic evaluation of the locally fabricated passenger seats with anthropometric measures of passengers and also compared the seat dimensions to required standards. The study was undertaken at seven selected bus stations in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. The study composed of 307 volunteer passengers comprising 175 females and 132 males with ages spanning from 18 to 60 years. The dimensions of ninety locally fabricated seats were collected from ninety randomly selected trotro vehicles. Ergonomic assessment was performed to determine match or mismatch between the anthropometric measures and vehicle seating dimensions. In addition, the fabricated seat dimensions were compared to both local and international vehicle seat standards. High mismatches indicating that the passenger seats were probably too deep or too high were observed for seat height – popliteal height, seat depth – buttock popliteal length, and seat breadth – hip breadth. A low mismatch was observed between the sitting height and backrest height for 99.4% of participants. Only four and ten out of the ninety seats complied with specified standard seat length and backrest to backrest distance, respectively. The high prevalence of mismatch is a possible indication that most locally fabricated seats do not adequately accommodate majority of passengers. Furthermore, it appears that anthropometric measures and standard vehicle seat dimensions are not considered during seat design, with potential health ramifications pertaining to the safety, comfort and sitting posture of passengers.
WITHDRAWN: Teddlie, C., & Yu, F. (2007). Mixed methods sampling: A typology with examples. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(1), 77-100. DOI 10.1177/1558689806292430
Article withdrawn by publisher.
Due to an administrative error, this article was accidentally published OnlineFirst and in Volume 1 Issue 1 of publishing year 2007 with different DOIs and different page numbers.
The incorrect version of the article with DOI: 10.1177/2345678906292430 has been replaced with this correction notice.
The correct and citable version of the article remains:
Teddlie, C., & Yu, F. (2007). Mixed methods sampling: A typology with examples. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(1), 77-100. DOI 10.1177/1558689806292430
Despite its connotations of non-compliance, illegality, social exploitation and marginality, the informal sector is a substantial contributor to economic life in developing countries and, increasingly, in more technologically advanced activities. Its prevalence in developed economies has also become more widely recognized. In light of its significance, this paper reviews research on the informal sector from a management and organization scholarship perspective, rather than from an entrepreneurship view, as has been the focus until now. It sets out the atypical management practices that are inherent in the sector, explores the under-researched relationship between formal and informal firms, and highlights definitional, conceptual and other limitations in extant research. As a step in resolving these issues, the authors present a conceptual model of formality and informality in a three-dimensional framework that highlights an organizational infrastructure dimension, a view of firms operating along a continuum, and a multi-level analytical context. Building on this, the authors detail opportunities for enhanced appreciation of in situ management and organizational practices in the informal sector and outline tools for pursuing a management and organization scholarship agenda. Overall, the authors argue that management scholarship has great potential to improve understanding of the informal sector, and that the informal sector provides opportunities to advance management theory, research and practice.
With its inception in urban studies in the 1930s, the notion of urban sprawl was institutionalised and globalised. However, urban sprawl research has mostly focused on developed countries compared with the situation in African countries. To address part of this gap, this paper appraises urban sprawl in Ghana, using Ejisu a peri-urban area of Kumasi as a case study in order to understand its characteristics, causes and effects on urbanites and urban functionality. Household and physical surveys, agency interviews and document reviews were used. Findings indicate that urban sprawl in Ejisu has spatial and aspatial characteristics, and is occurring in the absence of basic infrastructure services such as water and sanitation, and has become an extra yoke on urban planning agencies who are already faced with limited personnel and logistical capacity.
Worsening traffic congestion and air quality has been associated with the proliferation of informal operation of private microbus and minibus in African cities. It is recognised that large buses hold the promise of relieving the growing congestion of African cities if they are managed efficiently and sustainably.
It is in line with this that this study seeks to explore the reasons behind commuters’ non-preference of Metro Mass Transit (MMT) for intra-city commuting in Accra, Ghana. A revealed preference survey was administered to 134 commuters to find out the reasons behind their non-preference and their perception of the level of service (LOS) delivery of the Metro Mass Transit.
The Study revealed that though Metro Mass Transit was 20% cheaper in terms of price, commuters perceived its service delivery as poor. Over-crowding of buses, non-adherence to time schedule, long in-vehicle time, perception of not getting access to seats, non-availability of bus at respondents’ origins and destinations, accessibility of alternative modes and long waiting times for buses accounted for the major reasons for non-preference.
Metro Mass Transit Limited’s improvement in its service attributes especially in-vehicle time, waiting time, comfort, reliability and accessibility is a means of increasing its modal share. Adherence to these is the surest way to achieving the objective of promoting mass transit in Accra by shifting people from the use of unsustainable modes such as mini-buses and taxis to the use of efficient high capacity systems as Metro Mass Transit.
The interest in analysing urban transport problems in developing countries emerged in the 1960s and evolved at a fast pace as problems became increasingly severe. Conditions remain highly inadequate for most: low accessibility, poor public transport supply, accidents, discomfort, pollution and congestion are all negative features.
This article analyses the political economy of the Bus Rapid Transit project implemented in Dar es Salaam between 2002 and
2014. It discusses the recent rapid growth of Bus Rapid Transit systems and the vested interests of the actors promoting them
as a “win-win” solution to tackle the crisis of public transport in developing countries. The article discredits such “win-win”
narratives by showing what some Tanzanian actors stood to lose from the implementation of the Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit
scheme and their capacity to resist the project. It analyses tensions over the inclusion of the current public transport workforce,
employment destruction, displacement of current paratransit operators, compensation, and the affordability of the new service.
The article argues that slow implementation of the transport system was rooted in the tepid commitment to the project by the
Tanzanian government. In turn, this lack of political will can be explained by domestic politics, and in particular the government's
attempt to respond to the priorities of the World Bank without alienating local actors, some of whom wield considerable electoral
power.
The objective of the study was to establish the major factors influencing demand as well as develop a demand model for urban passenger transport services in Kumasi, Ghana. Data for this study were obtained from 400 commuters grouped into strata with definite characteristics such as income levels and trip making characteristics using the framework defined by Department of Urban Roads during two main field surveys using the simple random sampling technique. The analysis of the data showed that key determinants such as employment status of commuters, trip duration, and population influence the demand for public transport services in Kumasi. In addition, it was found that Taxi is the dominant mode used in Kumasi, carrying about 44% of respondents. This is mainly because it is the fastest mode in the city. The minibus is the next patronised mode carrying 32% of the respondents while Metro Mass Transit buses were the least patronised, even though they have the capacity to carry more passengers. This is mainly because of the long travel time these buses offer to passengers. The study therefore recommends among others, the use of large occupancy vehicles by providing them with exclusive lanes to help reduce travel time to make them the preferred option of commuters.
Keywords: Demand, Passenger Transport Services, Public Transport, Passenger-kilometres
Transport services are inadequate in quality and qualitative terms in most developing countries such as Nigeria which, relies on the importation of fairly used vehicles to meet the travel demands. The poor service delivery of transport system had created impediment towards the smooth movement of people, goods and services in some of urban centres in Nigeria. This study is designed to investigate the quality of transport services in Ibadan metropolis. The study area covered the eleven local government areas that make up Ibadan metropolis. Stratified sampling technique was used to select two political wards from each of the local government areas identified in the city. The twenty two political wards sampled were re-grouped into three geographical areas based on land use characteristics and population density. These are high, medium and low density. In each of the three geographical areas identified in the city, a systematic random sampling procedure was employed to select one in every twenty buildings along the major streets. In each of the buildings sampled, only one household is randomly selected for interview. An average of one hundred copies of the questionnaire was administered in each of the density area. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that some of the urban residents who are less accessible to transport services in their neighborhood commute on foot to meet their travel demands. Many of the urban residents expressed their dissatisfaction with the transport services available in the city. Further analysis showed that household’s income is highly correlated with modal choice in the city. The result of the analysis further revealed that some of the intra-transport services are poorly maintained. The study concluded that there is need to revitalize the transport services in urban centres in Nigeria so as to improve the accessibility characteristics of urban residents and promote sustainable transport development.
DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2013.v2n1p49
Some South African cities have initiated public transport transformation projects which, in most cases, ultimately envisage the in toto replacement of paratransit operations with formalised BRT systems. There are two likely outcomes: (1) complex negotiations with existing operators and budget constraints will result in the in toto transformation occurring over an extended period of time; or (2) in toto transformation will simply not occur. In either case, cities will depend, for decades, on a ‘hybrid’ public transport system that combines both formal and paratransit operators. This paper presents a case for policy recognition of hybrid systems, and explores how such systems might best be managed. The following categories of hybrid public transport systems are explored through case studies: (1) transformative processes in which paratransit operators are to form or assimilate into companies to operate new services, but this incorporation has proved difficult to complete and the operational and regulatory frameworks remain unchanged; and (2) transformative processes that, from the outset, anticipated a hybrid system and designed the outcome accordingly. A third category of hybrid transport systems, defined as transformative processes that have been amended following a realisation that in toto transformation is unattainable, is also introduced and discussed. The paper concludes by tentatively drawing lessons for appropriate public transport regulation, particularly with respect to Cape Town's transformation project. It is argued that a review of the current national regulatory framework is required to enable possible project modifications that acknowledge system hybridity. It is suggested that regulatory frameworks that accommodate the likely hybrid nature of public transport system outcomes have greater prospects of success than frameworks that do not. Furthermore, it is argued that contextually appropriate and successful public transport transformation projects do not necessarily require the in toto substitution of incumbent paratransit operators, and that they can be integrated with, and complement, formal services.
In developing countries, informal firms account for up to half of economic activity. They provide livelihood for billions of people. Yet their role in economic development remains controversial with some viewing informality as pent-up potential and others viewing informality as a parasitic organizational form that hinders economic growth. In this paper, we assess these perspectives. We argue that the evidence is most consistent with dual models, in which informality arises out of poverty and the informal and formal sectors are very different. It seems that informal firms have low productivity and produce low-quality products; and, consequently, they do not pose a threat to the formal firms. Economic growth comes from the formal sector, that is, from firms run by educated entrepreneurs and exhibiting much higher levels of productivity. The expansion of the formal sector leads to the decline of the informal sector in relative and eventually absolute terms. A few informal firms convert to formality, but more generally they disappear because they cannot compete with the much more-productive formal firms.
In this article I reconsider the handling of urban informality by urban planning and management systems in southern Africa. I argue that authorities have a fetish about formality and that this is fuelled by an obsession with urban modernity. I stress that the desired city, largely inspired by Western notions of modernity, has not been and cannot be realized. Using illustrative cases of top–down interventions, I highlight and interrogate three strategies that authorities have deployed to handle informality in an effort to create or defend the modern city. I suggest that the fetish is built upon a desire for an urban modernity based on a concept of formal order that the authorities believe cannot coexist with the “disorder” and spatial “unruliness” of informality. I question the authorities' conviction that informality is an abomination that needs to be “converted”, dislocated or annihilated. I conclude that the very configuration of urban governance and socio‐economic systems in the region, like the rest of sub‐Saharan Africa, renders informality inevitable and its eradication impossible.
The growth in qualitative research is a well-noted and welcomed fact within the social sciences; however, there is a regrettable lack of tools available for the analysis of qualitative material. There is a need for greater disclosure in qualitative analysis, and for more sophisticated tools to facilitate such analyses. This article details a technique for conducting thematic analysis of qualitative material, presenting a step-by-step guide of the analytic process, with the aid of an empirical example. The analytic method presented employs established, well-known techniques; the article proposes that thematic analyses can be usefully aided by and presented as thematic networks. Thematic networks are web-like illustrations that summarize the main themes constituting a piece of text. The thematic networks technique is a robust and highly sensitive tool for the systematization and presentation of qualitative analyses.
The performance and development of urban public transport in Ghana are examined and an explanation is sought of the role of unions and how the attempts of Government to develop its own public transport organization have failed. The public transport development options that the Government is now considering attempt to make the best use of the unions’ capabilities, while reducing dependence on union powers. The trotros of Ghana have been the mainstay of Ghana's public transport system for many years, despite concerned attempts by successive Governments to develop and maintain publicly organized stage‐bus services. A characteristic of this sector is the very powerful influence of the Owner and Driver Unions. Their power is exerted through control of the terminals from which services are operated. Through their control of the terminals, the Unions have effective quantity control of the public transport sector and hence control of service quality. Under its Economic Recovery Programme (ERP) the Government of Ghana is considering divesting itself of its public investment in bus operations. Attempts to use the State‐owned transport companies to provide a viable alternative to the trotros have foundered in the usual pitfalls of state ownership. At stake is how to relinquish completely the responsibility of running bus services to the private sector, without the users suffering the imposition of the unions’ restrictive practices.
The paper examines the travel behaviour of residents in four key metropolitan areas in Ghana with data from 926 respondents including 451 females obtained at intra-commuter vehicle terminals. The analysis of the data showed that the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) continues to dominate in the intra-urban commuter service. Also, in spite of persistent complaints from consumers about the high cost of transport fares, it is rather the cost of food, children’s education, clothing and to some extent personal entertainment which consume a disproportionate share of residents’ disposable incomes. Notwithstanding this finding, respondents’ expectation is to pay less than they are doing now for commuting within the study areas.
Technological change and incremental technology, at various levels, are believed to have played an important role in the success of urban public transport in Europe. In this paper, a historical overview of the evolution of different transport modes across different European cities is presented. Our major concern is with the processes of diffusion of urban transport modes in European cities and, in particular, with the factors, mainly of an economic nature, that may explain their rates of adoption across Europe. Among these factors, special attention is given to the role played by the dimension and organisation of public transport markets in the rates of adoption of different public transport modes. The main conclusion of the paper is that the success of the introduction of a new transport mode appeared to be mainly related to its ability to provide cheaper and more reliable transport services compared with previous transport modes, and that, in the case of the electric train, this was achieved by transforming of the structure of the market relating to this urban transport mode into monopolies.
Personal experience narratives about riding on Kenya's public passenger vehicles, commonly called matatu, form part of Nairobi residents' everyday conversations. These first-person, single-episodic narratives describe experiences of verbal and physical abuse, theft, hijacking, and violence, and women use them to describe sexual harassment and rape. Personal experience narratives help Nairobi's commuters cope with traumatic events and deal with the anger and frustration associated with riding in matatu, and they function as an informal information system. They provide strategies for dealing with the problems and personal risks associated with matatu, and articulate a powerful commentary on life in a large, African metropolis.
One of the central features of an offshore financial centre (OFC) is that it operates outside of the customary regulatory systems experienced within mainstream 'onshore' banking systems. OFCs are thus limited in terms of formal regulatory bodies and formal rules and regulations which are in place. They tend to rely upon informal networks and social ties so as to reach 'common sense' understandings of correct and incorrect behaviour. In this article, Donaghy points out that these 'common sense' understandings of social control have come under significant strain with many OFCs as they increasingly play host to growing numbers of international banks and financial institutions with varying conceptions about the nature of structural control and the meaning of rules and regulations. Many OFCs are thus replacing these informal strategies with more formalised approaches in the hope of creating a 'level playing field' amongst the centres' institutions. The aim of this article is thus not to pontificate about the best way forward for these centres, merely to investigate the sociological processes operating beneath this informal to formal transition.
Ghana is one of a few African countries where more people now reside in cities than in the countryside. What is not as well-known are the changes that have taken place in the economic base of Ghanaian cities. This paper tells that story. It focuses particularly on jobs, incomes, inequality, and poverty, and their characteristics in an era when neoliberal policies have been implemented. It draws on census reports, national surveys, and published reports in order to overcome the dearth of information about the urban and national economies. The paper shows that, on the one hand, the increasing prominence of the private sector in the urban economy has impacted positively on capital formation and job creation. On the other hand, urban and national inequality levels have dramatically increased. Whether these changes are favourable to the majority of urban citizens is contestable.
This article is an intervention in the epistemologies and methodologies of urban studies. It seeks to understand and transform the ways in which the cities of the global South are studied and represented in urban research, and to some extent in popular discourse. As such, the article is primarily concerned with a formation of ideas —‘subaltern urbanism’— which undertakes the theorization of the megacity and its subaltern spaces and subaltern classes. Of these, the ubiquitous ‘slum’ is the most prominent. Writing against apocalyptic and dystopian narratives of the slum, subaltern urbanism provides accounts of the slum as a terrain of habitation, livelihood, self‐organization and politics. This is a vital and even radical challenge to dominant narratives of the megacity. However, this article is concerned with the limits of and alternatives to subaltern urbanism. It thus highlights emergent analytical strategies, utilizing theoretical categories that transcend the familiar metonyms of underdevelopment such as the megacity, the slum, mass politics and the habitus of the dispossessed. Instead, four categories are discussed — peripheries, urban informality, zones of exception and gray spaces. Informed by the urbanism of the global South, these categories break with ontological and topological understandings of subaltern subjects and subaltern spaces.
Résumé
Intervenant sur les aspects épistémologiques et méthodologiques des études urbaines, cet article cherche à comprendre et à modifier les modalités d'analyse et de représentation des villes des pays du Sud dans la recherche urbaine et, jusqu'à un certain point, dans le discours populaire. Pour ce faire, l'attention est portée sur une formation d'idées, ‘l'urbanisme subalterne', qui vise la conceptualisation de la ‘mégacité', avec ses espaces subalternes et ses classes subalternes. Parmi ceux‐ci, le ‘taudis' ( slum ) omniprésent est le plus saillant. Contredisant les textes apocalyptiques et dystopiques sur ce lieu, l'urbanisme subalterne apporte des récits du taudis vu comme un cadre d'habitation, de source de revenu, d'auto‐organisation et de réflexion politique. Les écrits explicatifs dominants sur la mégacité sont ainsi mis en question de façon cruciale, voire radicale. Toutefois, l'article s'intéresse aux limites de l'urbanisme subalterne et à ses alternatives. Il met donc en avant des stratégies analytiques nouvelles, avec des catégories théoriques qui transcendent les métonymes habituels du sous‐développement comme mégacité, taudis, politique de masse et habitus des défavorisés. Quatre catégories sont présentées à la place: périphéries, informalité urbaine, zones d'exception et espaces gris. Reposant sur l'urbanisme des pays du Sud, elles dérogent aux conceptions ontologiques et topologiques des sujets subalternes et des espaces subalternes.
Regulatory reform in EU transport policy has forced urban public transport authorities to operate increasingly under a market regime. The EU policy favours in particular a system of limited competition through the granting of concessions to public transport operators. This paper seeks to identify the success conditions for local public transport systems in a sample of 22 European cities. On the basis of extensive field research a systematic performance table of urban public transport systems in these cities is created with the aim to investigate the impact of four classes of critical success factors on the performance of these systems. In the empirical part both a qualitative interpretative analysis and a recently developed tool from artificial intelligente, viz. rough set analysis, is deployed in order to derive policy relevant conclusions.
European Commission, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE)
- European Union
Institute of Development Studies
- K Hart
Cities, mobility and climate change
- D Banister
The causes and effects of traffic jam on commercial transport operations. A case study of trotro drivers at Awutu Senya East municipality
- N R Amoah
Sampling in qualitative research
- A Bryman
Informal income opportunities and urban employment in Ghana. Paper delivered to Conference on Urban Unemployment in Africa. Institute of Development Studies
- K Hart
Employment in the EU transport sector. Transport Research and Innovation Portal (TRIP), European Commission, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport
- European Union