secret society of NGOs

I wanted to compare pictures of the World Vision office and the mayor's office in this blog post, but I wasn't allowed to take a picture of the mayor's office. So, this is the World Vision office. If anyone knows someone who works here, please hook me up; I'm dying to learn about what goes on there, and am unable to get permission to talk to anyone inside, even with my litany of documentation.

Creative Methods

Not only does the strike continue, but the only person at the university seemingly able to provide me with an 'attestation de recherche' is travelling. Without it, there isn't a reception desk in the whole town I can get past. So, week three is well on its way without a single one of the planned interviews in sight. I'm sure it's a blessing in disguise, since I've now had the chance to get to know all 7 communes in the city, and kick back and drink a Fanta with a number of teachers, ministers, shopkeepers, bourgemestres, and others on the front lines of service delivery. In fact, the best 'interview' I could imagine was at a bar. I'm going to have to get creative with how to pitch this back in Joburg, since the kind of information I'm ending up with is at best a distant cousin of what's in the research plan.

The secret society of mayors

When I say I'm studying urban governance, it's automatically politicized. Expected conversations are about power, and politicians, and there is a great deal of suspicion about sharing information that could be sensitive. Everything is steered carefully away from touchier aspects of governance, like the way resources are distributed, and the way decisions are made. When I say I'm studying public services, I get some kind of wild-card exemption from politics that is apparently granted to the 'technical sectors.' The health, and water, and education budgets are laid out on the table, and before anyone blinks, we are well into open conversations about the way resources are distributed, and the way decisions are made....Even in academic literature, in writing about the administration of public services it seems like mentioning power (and people) are optional. Am I missing something? Is there some special thing people who govern urban spaces do that has nothing to do with resources? I'll start keeping an eye out for a secret handshake.

Striking Out

Welcome. I will be writing mostly about my research interests, which include poverty and inequality, migration, decentralisation, public service delivery, and the MDGs.

I arrived in Lubumbashi 2 weeks ago for fieldwork. I spent the first week talking to professors at UNILU, fishing through libraries, and getting to know the city. Week two was reserved for meeting with government officials in all of the various municipal service sectors. However, they have been on strike. This has given me the chance to do all kinds of things that I'm sure will prove central to my research, like visit the art museum and the zoo, find a Swahili teacher, and start a blog.