Economics of South African townships : special focus on Diepsloot
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Economics of South African townships : special focus on Diepsloot
(A World Bank study)
World Bank, c2014
- : paper
Available at 13 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
Note
Includes bibliographical references
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Countries everywhere are divided into two distinct spatial realms: one urban, one rural. Classic models of development predict faster growth in the urban sector, causing rapid migration from rural areas to cities and raising average incomes in both realms. South Africa faces an unconventional challenge in that it has symptoms of a spatial realm that is not rural and not fully urban. In many ways, South African townships - and especially informal settlements - are similar to slums in the developing world, although never was a slum formed with as much central planning and purpose as were some of the larger South African townships. Unlike urban slums, most townships and informal settlements are geographically distant from urban economic centers. The near absence of an affordable public transport system makes job seeking and other forms of economic integration prohibitively expensive. Motivated by the uniqueness of townships and informal settlements in South African economic and social life, Economics of South African Townships: Special Focus on Diepsloot seeks to develop a systematic understanding of the structure of the township economy, yielding a rich information base on the migration patterns to townships and informal settlements, changes in demographic profiles, labour market characteristics, and access to public and financial services. Economics of South African Townships then looks closely at Diepsloot - a large township in the Johannesburg Metropolitan Area - to vividly identify the economic realities and choices of township residents. Given the current dichotomous urban structure, modernising the township economy and enabling its convergence with the much richer urban centers may unleash significant productivity gains. Breaking out of the current low-level equilibrium, however, requires a comprehensive and holistic policy agenda, with significant complementarities among the major policy reforms. Although the study tells a rich and coherent story about development patterns in South African townships and points to some broad policy directions, its research and analysis will generally need to be deepened before being translated into direct policy action.
by "Nielsen BookData"