(WHY) HAVE PRO‐POOR POLICIES FAILED AFRICA'S WORKING POOR?

Abstract

Abstract Globalisation, liberalisation and urbanisation have contributed to a rapid growth of urban informal economies in sub‐Saharan Africa. Commerce has become a dominant feature of national economies, and street vending has become a prime source of employment for poor urban dwellers, yet most work illegally, and evictions and harassment are common. The paper examines the process and impacts of three pro‐poor reform agendas in Tanzania, each representing a different ideology of reform, and draws on survey results from 2007 and 2011 to assess their potential to legitimate the activities of street vendors and to ameliorate their relations with the state. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.