01 Dec Opportunities for Democratic Governance in Afghan Cities
“New wealth generated in the city economy provides resources for redistributive policies to benefit the most vulnerable. Â However, significant democratic deficits in urban governance may curb redistributive policies, affect state legitimacy and undercut balanced growth in the cities of Afghanistan.”
The scoping and preliminary phase of an AREU urban governance research project was conducted in the cities of Herat, Charikar and Jalalabad between September 2010 and April 2011. The project explored existing and potential venues of engagement between state institutions and city residents on issues of land use, urban planning and local economic development. The exercise identified some important issues and outlined a future research agenda, should the opportunity arise to proceed with it. Meanwhile, roundtable notes and an interim report will be made available.
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