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Housing and Urbanization in Africa: unleashing a formal market process

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  • Paul Collier
  • Anthony J. Venables

Abstract

In many African countries a market for private provision of formal sector mass housing is largely absent. This is not inevitable, but is the consequence of policy failure surrounding five key issues. The affordability of housing, with costs often inflated by inappropriate building regulations and inefficient construction sectors; lack of clarity in land titling and legal enforcement; lack of innovation in supply of housing finance; failure to supply supporting infrastructure and to capture development gains to finance this; and failure to plan cities in a manner conducive to employment creation. Since responsibility for these policies is divided between different parts of government, a coordinated push is needed to secure reform and activate this market.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Collier & Anthony J. Venables, 2013. "Housing and Urbanization in Africa: unleashing a formal market process," CSAE Working Paper Series 2013-01, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    • Handle: RePEc:csa:wpaper:2013-01
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Franklin, Simon, 2020. "Enabled to work: The impact of government housing on slum dwellers in South Africa," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    2. Stephen Malpezzi & J. Sa‐Aadu, 1996. "What Have African Housing Policies Wrought?," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 24(2), pages 133-160.
    3. Robert M. Buckley & Jerry Kalarickal, 2005. "Housing Policy in Developing Countries: Conjectures and Refutations," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 20(2), pages 233-257.
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    1. Franklin, Simon, 2020. "Enabled to work: The impact of government housing on slum dwellers in South Africa," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    2. Harris Selod & Lara Tobin, 2018. "The spatial sorting of informal dwellers in cities in developing countries: Theory and evidence," PSE Working Papers halshs-01703178, HAL.
    3. Brueckner, Jan K. & Lall, Somik V., 2015. "Cities in Developing Countries," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 1399-1455, Elsevier.
    4. Candau, Fabien & Gbandi, Tchapo, 2019. "Trade and institutions: explaining urban giants," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 15(6), pages 1017-1035, December.
    5. Talukdar, Debabrata, 2018. "Cost of being a slum dweller in Nairobi: Living under dismal conditions but still paying a housing rent premium," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 42-56.
    6. Lozano-Gracia, Nancy & Young, Cheryl, 2014. "Housing consumption and urbanization," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7112, The World Bank.
    7. Weldesilassie, Alebel B. & B.Worku, Genanew, 2022. "Managing urban land markets in Africa: Valuation, performance and policy implication," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    8. Dasgupta,Basab & Lall,Somik V. & Lozano Gracia,Nancy, 2014. "Urbanization and housing investment," Policy Research Working Paper Series 115004, The World Bank.

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