Slumonomics

Too often government policy is proposed as a possible "cure" for the impoverishment that is rampant in the slums of the world.  The UN's Slums of the World claims that "lack of clear pro-poor policies" is one factor that ha led to "dramatic growth of poverty in Africa."  One problem with this claim is that the causes of poverty are quite uncertain, so "clear pro-poor policies" would be extremely difficult to enact.  The UN's report names bad governance and slow economic growth as the other two primary factors in the growth of poverty in Africa, which are much more reasonable , especially the former, which might also be contributing to the slow growth.

The report goes on to point out that "in some urban centres, the inhabitants have virtually lost faith in the ability of municipal and city governments to provide them with a clean, efficient, safe and affordable environment to live."  The problem is that the report implies this is a bad thing, when in fact it will most likely lead to improved conditions in the slums.  This is because if the individuals living in these settlements truly value a "clean, efficient, safe and affordable environment to live," then they will begin to take actions on there own to create such an environment, now that they expect the local government to sit on the sideline.  Unless of course they expect the government to evict them or destroy the slum, these expectations would lead to inaction because the residents would see any improvements as short-lived.