Does city governance matter for the urban poor?

This journal article explores the influence of actors and organisations on decisions and outcomes in urban governance, and the impact of these on the poor. Three critical factors for pro-poor governance are identified through the study of nine city case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America; inclusive political processes where the votes of the poor count, responsive institutions with capacity to deliver, and a developed civil society able to support the poor to pressure government. The specific policies and practices of the city governance institutions are found to impact on the poor. Some of the key policies and practices include: the nature of the city's policy on poverty, the city's attitude to the informal sector (tolerance is kinder to the poor), the city's approach to informal settlements (recognised and given access to services, ignored, or evicted), access to land, the regulatory environment, a redistributive use of financial resources, and targeted pricing policies for basic services.