Fighting Urban Poverty in Ghana: the Role of Non-governmental Organizations

The study examined the activities of urban non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in fighting poverty in Kumasi, Ghana. Specifically, the study sought answers to three key questions relating to the role of NGOs in urban poverty reduction. Four NGOs in the city of Kumasi were selected for study. A sample size of 105 respondents drawn from beneficiaries of the NGOs, officers of the NGOs, and the local government was used. The research adopted the cross-sectional study design and the mixed method approach in the collection, processing, and analysis of the data. Results from the study showed that urban NGOs provide social intervention and livelihood empowerment programs to the extremely poor who were mostly migrants to the city. Women and the youth were the main beneficiaries of the poverty reduction programs of the NGOs. However, the efforts of the NGOs in reducing poverty were found to be of short term rather than long term. Three reasons accounted for this—firstly, targeted beneficiaries were not involved in the choice, design, and implementation of the poverty reduction programs. Secondly, the NGOs were faced with endogenous challenges that limited the extent of their impact in touching the lives of the poor. Finally, there was a weak collaboration between the NGOs and the government in the fight against poverty. Recommendations were made to enhance the activities of the NGOs in their endeavors.     

Urban Land Market in Ghana: A Study of the Wa Municipality

This paper examines the land market in Ghana using the Wa municipality as a study area, an urban land market that is largely underdeveloped. The study employed questionnaires to collect data on how the land market in the municipality functions. It was found that this land market basically comprises undeveloped land and most of the land units are located in areas without basic infrastructure or services. Furthermore, customary land is efficiently allocated to competing uses and users. However, the market is bedevilled with problems such as multiple land sales and boundary disputes as a result of the unavailability of documentation on land transactions in the municipality. It suggests that state policy interventions, and not the institutional bureaucracy of land management, are required to address the inherent market problems.     

城市处罚：教育

贫困的农村家庭迁往城市寻求更大的机会。尽管如此，城市更易于获得教育机会的优势对于大多数贫民窟居民来说还是一个神话。即使拥有上学的机会，贫民窟家庭还是会牺牲他们子女的教育，特别是女孩的教育，才能满足食品、房租和交通方面的支出。在贫民窟住区，方便就学的学校常常不足。     

城市处罚：隐藏的饥饿

在城市，饥饿与可支配收入相关，因为受通货膨胀影响的食品价格决定了贫困的城市家庭食用多少食物和哪些类食物。许多家庭通常没有足够的现金，用于购买数量充足的食物。当通货膨胀冲击基本商品，贫困的城市家庭可能不得不把可支配收入的70％至80％用于购买食物。相比之下，     

中国城市贫困问题的国际研究新进展

近来,诸多海外学者对中国的城市贫困问题日益关注。基于一系列全国范围内的大型城市家庭户调查数据,学者们对城市贫困的发生率、分布和区域差异进行了详尽研究。研究表明,社会底层的人口很少从市场经济改革中获益。反之,福利制度的改革和社会服务的商品化使得这些人口承受更高的经济压力,因而更容易陷入贫困危机。目前,下岗失业人员和进城农民工已成为中国城市新贫困的两个主要群体。同时,中国城市出现了三种类型的贫困邻里：老城区衰败邻里、衰落的单位大院、城中村。一些国外学者基于小型的社会调查和个案研究分别对这些贫困群体和贫困邻里进行了具体研究,对深入了解和探讨中国城市贫困的现状、成因、后果及对策作出了重要贡献。本文将对这些研究按照不同的主题进行评述,具体包括家庭户调查和贫困研究、下岗失业人员贫困研究、农民工贫困研究、贫困人口住房研究、制度变迁与贫困成因探讨等。最后,本文对这些研究进行总结,并探讨其未来的主要研究方向。     

中国城市贫困问题的国际研究新进展

近来,诸多海外学者对中国的城市贫困问题日益关注.基于一系列全国范围内的大型城市家庭户调查数据,学者们对城市贫困的发生率、分布和区域差异进行了详尽研究.研究表明,社会底层的人口很少从市场经济改革中获益.反之,福利制度的改革和社会服务的商品化使得这些人口承受更高的经济压力,因而更容易陷入贫困危机.目前,下岗失业人员和进域农民工已成为中国城市新贫困的两个主要群体.同时,中国城市出现了三种类型的贫困邻里:老城区衰败邻里、衰落的单位大院、城中村.一些国外学者基于小型的社会调查和个案研究分别对这些贫困群体和贫困邻里进行了具体研究,对深入了解和探讨中国城市贫困的现状、成因、后果及对策作出了重要贡献.本文将对这些研究按照不同的主题进行评述,具体包括家庭户调查和贫困研究、下岗失业人员贫困研究、农民工贫困研究、贫困人口住房研究、制度变迁与贫困成因探讨等.最后,本文对这些研究进行总结,并探讨其未来的主要研究方向.     

Urban Poverty and Inequality in Kenya

This paper explores urban poverty and inequality in Kenya. We use the 2009 Kenyan population census data and estimate multidimensional poverty and inequality measures in the capital city and other secondary cities and towns. The results of our analysis show that poverty levels vary considerably across the different hierarchies of cities and towns in the country. The incidence of multidimensional poverty is relatively lower in the capital city, Nairobi (27%), and its satellite towns such as Ruiru (22%) and Thika (27%), while the figure is relatively higher in other large secondary cities such as Mombasa (44%) and Kisumu (46%). However, we also find large disparities in poverty levels within these cities/towns. For instance, location level poverty estimates in Nairobi range from more than 60% in Korogocho and Laini saba locations to less than 5% in Kileleshwa and Kilimani. Consistent with this, location-based horizontal inequality estimates are the highest in Nairobi, followed by Thika town. We also find gender gaps in poverty levels in all urban centers. In particular, individuals living in female-headed households are on average poorer than those who live in male-headed households. Our results suggest that comparing living standards across different urban centers based on average poverty estimates masks significant within-urban-center inequalities. Understanding these spatial inequalities in multidimensional poverty is crucial to honing the targeting of anti-poverty policy.     

城市处罚：污染与可持续性

迄今为止，世界上高度城市化的发达地区产生的主要温室气体二氧化碳的比率最高。这是由于燃烧诸如汽油和煤等矿物质燃料。虽然这些国家中有许多正在进行改革，以减少空气污染，但空气污染在亚洲的工业化城市却在加剧。     

中国城市贫困状况分析及反贫困对策

随着城市贫困人口的增加和城市贫富差距的拉大,城市贫困问题已备受关注。基于统计数据测算,我国目前城市合理的贫困线大约在人均年收入7500～8500元之间,贫困人口数大约为5000万人,是目前低保标准和受保人数的2倍左右。受到区域经济差异的影响,其中东部地区贫困人口比重最低,东北地区和西部地区贫困人口比重较高。研究深刻分析了城市贫困问题产生的根源,依照我国国情提出城市贫困监测、城市经济发展、收入分配机制改革、社会保障体系完善、人力资本投资及反贫困路径的拓展等多方面反贫困的对策建议。     

城市处罚：地点，地点，还是地点

房地产代理商是正确的，住在哪里很重要。解读他们的咒语，意思是说地点决定命运。地点和进步不可逃避地相互纠缠，这一观点对世界城市贫民来讲是最正确的，这些贫民就住在地球上房地产最差的地点。     

Urban water and nutrient flows in Kumasi,Ghana

Material flow analysis was applied to model different scenarios which help better identify and quantify water supply and wastewater pollution problems in the city of Kumasi, Ghana. Results show that despite a relative abundance of water resources in the surrounding area of the city, drinking water consumption will remain at a low level (from 49 ± 4 l/cap/day in 2006 to 59 ± 5 l/cap/day in 2015). Changing sanitation practices to using more flush toilets will require significantly more water if these toilets are to be used adequately. The water–nutrient balance shows that total nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) outputs of the modelled area are 10 times higher than system inputs, most of this being attributed to human wastes from sanitation. A number of possible measures to reduce nutrient flows into water bodies were identified and quantified, showing the usefulness of the applied model in providing estimates for municipal decision-makers.     

国外城市贫困问题研究

当前我国的城市贫困问题日益突出，但城市地理学者对这一社会问题的研究很少，且研究深度不够。旨在从城市贫困的含义和界定、城市贫困的特征、城市贫困产生的背景、产生原因及其应对措施等方面，对国城市贫困问题的研究做系统综述，较全面的介绍国外城市贫困问题的研究概况，以引起我国城市地理学者对这一问题的关注。     

城市水业市场化的认识误区与政府角色

就我国城市水业市场化的前景与目前所处的背景作了阐述，廓清了一些模糊认识，并对如何建立科学的水行业监管体系提出了相关建议。     

城市处罚：新威胁，旧恐惧

对于我们看待周围世界的方式，2001年9月11日是一个转折点。现实是我们不再认为我们没有危险，特别是如果我们居住在城市中的话。贫困、不发达、政治造成的弱小或无政府状况为新旧威胁的产生提供了充裕的条件，威胁到我们日常的安全。     

谈援加纳体育场项目的雨水设计

雨水设计是给水排水专业设计的重要组成部分,一般的国内工程设计,雨水资料较为详细,且有据可查。随着国内设计市场的逐步走出去,已经有越来越多的国际项目开始由国内承接,但是由于缺乏国外的气象及勘测资料,或者是出于种种原因收集不到相关的数据,这就对给排水专业的雨水设计提出了新的挑战。文章以援加纳海岸角体育场工程的设计为例,重点对援外工程的雨水设计进行论述,同时还为解决此类问题提供了一种思路。     

The Social Costs of Real Estate Market Information Gaps in Ghana

Real estate markets function efficiently when driven by information regimes in which legitimate information corresponds with information that must count in market decisions. Where there are mismatches between legitimate information and information that must count, gaps naturally emerge in the information order. If the conditions for the creation and widening of such gaps are not removed, tenure insecurity, real estate transaction constraints and social costs tend to be heightened. This article presents a view of the conditions that have created information gaps in the Ghanaian real estate economy together with their allied tenure insecurity and social costs. Propositions for alleviating these information gaps are consequently proffered.     

Behavioural finance,property values and housing conversion in Urban Ghana

Journal of Housing and the Built Environment - In recent years, scholars have explained the factors driving the conversion of residential accommodation to retail units in African cities from an...     

The Social Costs of Real Estate Market Information Gaps in Ghana1

Real estate markets function efficiently when driven by information regimes in which legitimate information corresponds with information that must count in market decisions. Where there are mismatches between legitimate information and information that must count, gaps naturally emerge in the information order. If the conditions for the creation and widening of such gaps are not removed, tenure insecurity, real estate transaction constraints and social costs tend to be heightened. This article presents a view of the conditions that have created information gaps in the Ghanaian real estate economy together with their allied tenure insecurity and social costs. Propositions for alleviating these information gaps are consequently proffered.