Is (in)access to infrastructure driven by physical delivery or weak governance? Power and knowledge asymmetries in infrastructure governance in Cape Town, South Africa

TY - JOUR

T1 - Is (in)access to infrastructure driven by physical delivery or weak governance? Power and knowledge asymmetries in infrastructure governance in Cape Town, South Africa

AU - Haque, Anika Nasra

AU - Lemanski, Charlotte

AU - de Groot, Jiska

PY - 2021/11/1

Y1 - 2021/11/1

N2 - Despite widespread scholarly recognition that infrastructure delivery and consumption is as much a sociopoliticalprocess as a technical-material product, global development agendas (e.g. United Nations’ SustainableDevelopment Goals) continue to prioritise the universal provision of public infrastructure as a static transferof physical goods/services without explicit recognition of their socio-political dimensions. This paper exploresthe everyday ways in which citizens negotiate public infrastructure delivery and access, situated in a globalSouth context of extreme inequality and limited state capacity. Using a case study of two low-income settlementsin Cape Town with differing infrastructure provision, we demonstrate how governance processes can underminethe physical delivery of infrastructure. While participatory governance remains a core policy mechanism todemocratise service delivery, in practice the capacity of citizens to participate is affected by power andknowledge asymmetries that function both within and between communities and the state. These asymmetricpower relations and knowledge flows contribute to clientelistic politics that not only limit citizen engagement inparticipatory governance, but actively undermine low-income urban dwellers’ access to services that have beenphysically delivered and targeted to meet their needs. Framed by a case study of energy interventions, weconclude that widening access to public infrastructure requires significant investment in effective governanceprocesses for low-income urban dwellers.

AB - Despite widespread scholarly recognition that infrastructure delivery and consumption is as much a sociopoliticalprocess as a technical-material product, global development agendas (e.g. United Nations’ SustainableDevelopment Goals) continue to prioritise the universal provision of public infrastructure as a static transferof physical goods/services without explicit recognition of their socio-political dimensions. This paper exploresthe everyday ways in which citizens negotiate public infrastructure delivery and access, situated in a globalSouth context of extreme inequality and limited state capacity. Using a case study of two low-income settlementsin Cape Town with differing infrastructure provision, we demonstrate how governance processes can underminethe physical delivery of infrastructure. While participatory governance remains a core policy mechanism todemocratise service delivery, in practice the capacity of citizens to participate is affected by power andknowledge asymmetries that function both within and between communities and the state. These asymmetricpower relations and knowledge flows contribute to clientelistic politics that not only limit citizen engagement inparticipatory governance, but actively undermine low-income urban dwellers’ access to services that have beenphysically delivered and targeted to meet their needs. Framed by a case study of energy interventions, weconclude that widening access to public infrastructure requires significant investment in effective governanceprocesses for low-income urban dwellers.

U2 - 10.1016/j.geoforum.2021.07.013

DO - 10.1016/j.geoforum.2021.07.013

M3 - Article

SN - 0016-7185

VL - 126

SP - 48

EP - 58

JO - Geoforum

JF - Geoforum

ER -