How do inequalities across subnational regions within African countries shape patterns of conflict, competition, and political mobilization? Empirical studies of African political economy have been stuck at two extremes of the analytic spectrum -- either they take a highly macroscopic and aggregated view of whole countries, or they take a microscopic view of disaggregated households or even individuals. Scholars zoom-out to compare the Gross Domestic Product or the quality of democracy at the country-level, or they zoom-in on household incomes or voter behaviour.
The Spatial Inequalities in African Political Economy research project is a four-year project funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council. Breaking free from the old constraints, this project develops new theory, new data, and innovative empirical analysis to show that existing empirical studies have missed the level of analysis most appropriate for understanding patterns of cleavage and competition that drive electoral struggles, development policy disputes, and civil conflict within African countries: the sub-national, regional level.
Based at the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ Department of Government and hosted in part by the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ International Inequalities Institute, the project brings together researchers across three continents, seven countries, and six academic disciplines to study the economic and political inequality in Africa. Our main tools and resources are statistical analysis, GIS mapping, field research, and the historical and qualitative literature on economic and political change in African countries.
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Principal investigator
- Professor Catherine Boone
- Dr Leigh Gardner
Researchers
- Dr Michael Wahman
- Dr Fibian Lukalo
- Dr Andrew Linke
- Dr Stephan Kyburz
- Dr Robert Nilson Wayumba
- Juliette Crespin-Boucaud
- Dr Michaela Collord
- Paddy Makene
- Jennifer Kohler
- Cristin Fergus
- Jorich Loubser
- Eva Richter
- Joel Suss
- Yuezhou Yang
- Matthew Benson
- Ellie Young
- Nicholas Fitzhenry
- Jonathan Karl
- Linchuan Xu
Other Collaborators
- Rebecca Simson
- Aristide Mah Dion
- Zibo Irigo
- Jutta Bolt
- Alexander Moradi
- Professor William Hurst
Project details
Project duration: 2 years
Project funder: ESRC / UK in a Changing Europe
Journal Articles:
- Boone, C. 2018. "Shifting Visions of Property under Competing Political Regimes: Changing Uses of Côte d'Ivoire's 1998 Land Law," Journal of Modern African Studies, 56/2: 189-216.
- Boone, C. 2018. "Land Politics under Kenya's New Constitution: Limits to the Institutional Fix," with Alex Dyzenhaus, Catherine Gateri, Seth Ouma, James Owino, Ambreena Manji, and Jacqueline Klopp, African Affairs 118/471: 215-237. (open access)
- Boone, C. 2019. "Legal empowerment of the poor through property rights reform: Tensions and trade-offs of land registration and titling in sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 55/3: 384-400.
- Fibian Lukalo, and Sandra Joireman, "Kenyan Settlement Schemes: Past and Present," British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) conference on Land Governance and Subnational Political Dynamics in Kenyan Politics, Nairobi, 7 June 2019.
- Fibian Lukalo, and Sandra Joireman, "Kenyan Settlement Schemes: Past and Present," British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) conference on Land Governance and Subnational Political Dynamics in Kenyan Politics, Nairobi, 7 June 2019.
- Juliette Crespin-Boucaud, Alexander Moradi, and Catherine Boone, "Land Reform, public goods, and poverty reduction in the long-run: Evidence from Kenya's settlement schemes,” prepared for the World Bank Land and Poverty Meeting, Washington DC., April 2020.
- Catherine Boone and Brice Bado, Aristide Mah Dion, Zibo Irigo. 2021. "Push, Pull, and Push-back to Land Certification: Regional dynamics in pilot certification projects in Côte d'Ivoire," Journal of Modern African Studies 59/3. (open access)
- Catherine Boone, Fibian Lukalo, Sandra Joireman, "Promised Land: Settlement Schemes in Kenya, 1962 to 2016." Political Geography 89 (2021). (open access).
- Bolt, Jutta and Leigh Gardner. "How Africans shaped British colonial institutions: evidence from local taxation," Journal of Economic History (forthcoming). Working paper version available here.
Chapter:
- Boone, C. 2019. "Land-Related Conflict and Electoral Politics in Africa," In Oxford Encyclopedia of African Politics. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.758.
- Handbook and Maps for Planners and Stakeholders:Lukalo, Fibian, Robert Wayumba, et al. Kenya Settlement Schemes: First Mapping (Nairobi: National Land Commission of Kenya), Sept. 2020.
Policy and Research Briefings:
- Lukalo and Kituo Cha Sheria (Legal Advice Centre). (2015). Know Your Land Rights.
- Lukalo, Fibian, & Dokhe, Esterina. (2016). Gender and Land Rights. National Land Commission.
- Lukalo and National Land Commission. (2017). Compendium of Land Matters: Basis for Priority in Research and Land Policy Implementation.
Working Paper:
- Catherine Boone and Brice Bado, Aristide Mah Dion, Zibo Irigo. "Push, Pull, and Push-back to Land Certification: Regional dynamics in pilot certification projects in Côte d'Ivoire," ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ Dept. of International Development Working Paper, March 2020.
Blogs:
- Carolin Dieterle, "What Land Governance in Uganda can teach us about #PublicAuthority," ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ Africa Blog, 16 July 2018.
- Boone et al., "Refocusing scholarly attention on Kenya's smallholder settlement schemes is long overdue," ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ Africa Blog, 27 June 2018.
- Boone et al., "Multi-methods research across continents: Land in Kenya," ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ International Development Blog, 2 Oct. 2018.
- Catherine Boone, Irigo Zibo, and Aristide Dion, "Regional dynamics and complexities of land certification in Côte d’Ivoire," ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ Africa Blog, 27 Sept. 2019.
- Catherine Boone, "Do Socio-Economic cleavages matter for development in African countries?" Blog, University of Manchester, GDI, Effective States and Inclusive Development Program blog, 12 Nov. 2019.
- Arthur Awor and Carolin Dieterle, "Customary land claims are at stake in northern Uganda," ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ Africa Blog, 7 Apr. 2020.
Master's Theses:
- Dion, Aristide Mah. (2019). Processus de Certification Foncière et Accès Equitable des Jeunes de la Sous-Préfecture de Gbouguhé à la Terre (Unpublished master's thesis). CERAP, Centre de Recherches et d'Action pour la Paix (Institution Universitaire Jésuite), Cocody, Blvd. Mermoz, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
- Irigo, Zibo. (2019). Certification Foncière et Securisation des Droits Fonciers des Femmes dans Les Departements d'Agboville et de Daloa (Côte d'Ivoire) (Unpublished master's thesis). CERAP, Centre de Recherches et d'Action pour la Paix (Institution Universitaire Jésuite), Cocody, Blvd. Mermoz, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
- Makene, Paddy Odera. (2020). Analysis of Land Use and Land Cover Change as a Solution to Land Conflict in Chepchoina Phase I & II Settlement Schemes in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya (Unpublished master’s thesis). Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya.