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Stefan Dercon is a Professor of Economic Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government and the Economics Department, and a Fellow of Jesus College. He is also the Director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies. He combines his academic career with work as a policy advisor, providing strategic economic and development advice, and promoting the use of evidence in decision making. Between 2011 and 2017, he was Chief Economist of the Department of International Development (DFID), the government department in charge of the UK’s aid policy and spending. Between 2020-2022, he was the Development Policy Advisor to successive Foreign Secretaries at the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. His research interests concern what keeps some people and countries poor: the failures of markets, governments, and politics, mainly in Africa, and how to achieve change. His latest book, Gambling on Development: Why some countries win and others lose, was published in May 2022.
Human urbanization began around 7,000 BCE and will end in the lifetime of today’s children. The urban share of the global population will stabilize at about 75% in 2100. In
Indian cities are facing challenges due to their low-rise structures and sprawling slums that are projected to increase with the growth of urban populations in the future. To cope with this trend and take advantage of agglomeration externalities, India needs to adopt a more upward, pyramid-like approach with increased density. Although strengthening property rights has been suggested as a solution, India’s fragmented land ownership system makes this option difficult.
Previously, the Indian government used eminent domain to acquire and amalgamate land for industrial or infrastructural use, but this led to significant political opposition in the 2000s. As a result, the 2013 Land Acquisition Act was passed, which narrowed the circumstances under which land could be acquired, increased compensation payments, and extended those payments to non-owners who relied on the land for their livelihoods. While this approach has ensured political acquiescence among rural and slum dwellers, it has created a problem for private businesses that require land for property or industrial development, causing a significant time and cost burden.
This political reality, while necessary for a democratic India, may not be conducive to good economics and may lead to dysfunctional urbanization.
This blog documents the third walk and mapping activity carried out as part of the ongoing “Walking the Un-Walkable” project series.
From November 16-18th, CCI will host the first Africa’s New Cities Summit. This Summit will include what is normally expected in a typical conference (keynote speakers, panels, networking opportunities, etc.)
Each month, the CCI team selects a new book to read and discuss together. Our book club selections cover a wide range of topics that are relevant to charter cities, but they are most often related to development, urban issues, and governance. In this ongoing series, reviewers will offer summaries of the books we’ve read and share some of the highlights from our discussions.
Countries struggling with economic development face two critical challenges to overcome when trying to introduce substantive reforms— the logic of collective action and institutional sclerosis. These ideas were developed by
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