Urbanisation in Sub Saharan Africa: Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia (LGPI 2019)
Short description
In September 2016, GLD was awarded a 9,1 million SEK (approx. 1,1 million USD) grant for studying urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa. The project explored governance in the major cities of three rapidly urbanizing, low-income countries: Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia. It argued that the variation in governance and key development outcomes is driven not only by formal government institutions but also social institutions.
About the Project
Rapid and unplanned urban growth creates significant governance challenges, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, which is urbanizing at a faster rate than any other region of the world. Unplanned or inadequately managed urban expansion leads to pollution and environmental degradation, together with unsustainable production and consumption patterns. It also creates inequalities when the necessary infrastructure is not developed or when policies are not implemented to ensure that the benefits of city life are shared equally; urban areas are more unequal than rural areas, and hundreds of millions of the world’s urban poor live in sub-standard conditions (UN 2015). As more citizens in African countries move to the cities, the governance of urban areas becomes a key challenge. Yet, our understanding of governance in the face of urbanization is grossly limited and needs further investigation.
The project explored governance in the major cities of three rapidly urbanizing, low-income countries: Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia. It argued that the variation in governance and key development outcomes is driven not only by formal government institutions but also social institutions. Through a study of Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia, we examined the role of social institutions in a multi-method inquiry into how rules and norms governing ethnic and gender relations affect governance. We examined the impact of social and political institutions on the quality of governance and service provision and on the inequalities within these based on traditional power structures of class, ethnicity, gender, and geographic location. To do so, we employed a multi-method approach to forming a broad conceptual framework for studying these relationships, including focus groups, computer-assisted surveys with embedded experiments, in-depth case studies, and the Local Governance Process Indicators (LGPI), which is a unique, multifaceted, survey-based measure of local governance and development that provides comparative data at the subnational level.
Interactive View and Data Download
Our interactive ShinyApp tool makes it easy to explore, download, and customize the LGPI 2019 dataset—perfect for researchers, students, and policymakers. The dataset is built from a household survey conducted in Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia, offering insights into governance at both individual and community levels.
The data covers a wide range of topics, including:
- Participation (e.g., community meetings, voting)
- Service Provision (e.g., education, health, water, electricity)
- Security (e.g., crime, dispute resolution)
- Social Norms (e.g., social obligations, sanctioning)
- Welfare & Demographics (e.g., land access, food security, shelter)
With the ShinyApp, you can sort the data by region or topic, tailoring it to your specific interests. Whether you're curious about education in Zambia or voting patterns in Kenya, this tool makes the data accessible and actionable.
View the LGPI 2019 Dataset here!
What is a ShinyApp?
A ShinyApp is an interactive web application built using the Shiny framework in R, a programming language for statistical computing and graphics. Shiny is developed by RStudio (now Posit) and enables R users to create dynamic, web-based applications directly from R scripts without requiring extensive web development skills.
Resources
This document describes how to utilize the LGPI codebook and LGPI data for your research: LGPI SURVEY 2019 - A USER GUIDE.
Dataset Citation
Lust, Ellen (PI); Kao, Kristen; Landry, Pierre F.; Harris, Adam; Dulani, Boniface; Metheney, Erica; Nickel, Sebastian; Carlitz, Ruth; Gakii Gatua, Josephine; Jöst, Prisca; Mechkova, Valeryia; Mujenja, Maxim Fison; Tengatenga, John; Grimes, Marcia; Ahsan Jansson, Cecilia; Alfonso, Witness; Nyasente, Dominique; Ben Brahim, Nesrine; Jordan, Jenna; Bauhr, Monika; Boräng, Frida; Ferree, Karen; Hartmann, Felix; and Lueders, Hans. “The Local Governance and Performance Index (LGPI) Household Survey 2019: Kenya, Malawi, Zambia.” The Program on Governance and Local Development, University of Gothenburg: 2020.
Bibtex citation format
@article{GLD2020,
Author = {Lust, Ellen and Kao, Kristen and Landry, Pierre F. and Harris, Adam and Dulani, Boniface and (co-PIs) and with Metheney, Erica and Nickel, Sebastian and Carlitz, Ruth and Gakii Gatua, Josephine and Jöst, Prisca and Mechkova, Valeryia and Mujenja, Maxim Fison and Tengatenga, John and Grimes, Marcia and Ahsan Jansson, Cecilia and Alfonso, Witness and Nyasente, Dominique and Ben Brahim, Nesrine and Jordan, Jenna and Bauhr, Monika and Boräng, Frida and Ferree, Karen and Hartmann, Felix and Lueders, Hans},
Year = {2020},
Journal = {The Program on Governance and Local Development},
Title = {The Local Governance and Performance Index (LGPI) 2019: Kenya, Malawi, Zambia.},
url = {http://gld.gu.se}}
Acknowledgments
This project was supported by The Governance Challenge of Urbanization grant (FORMAS – 2016-00228), PI: Ellen Lust.