Institute for Public Affairs in Zimbabwe

Political Economy Research and Analysis in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa. Regular research and expert opinions on Political Economy.

[Davison Muchadenyika @DMuchadenyika]

NEW BOOK: Exactly five years ago, I announced the publication of my inaugural book: Seeking Urban Transformation: Alternative Urban Futures in Zimbabwe. Today I announce the publication of my second one: The Making of An African City: How Harare Grew over Centuries. A culmination of five years of writing and re-writing this book, started in Harare in Dec 2019 and finalized in Islamabad, Pakistan.

This book was written in many cities: Harare, Punta Cana, Fairfax, Washington DC, Seoul, Yokohama, Tokyo, Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Lusaka, Turkana, Paris, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, Addis, Freetown, Makeni, Kenema, Accra, Cancun, Amsterdam, Pretoria, Bangkok, Johannesburg, Mutare, Victoria Falls, Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. I underscore the origins, growth, status and prospects of Harare. I must confess that I enjoyed engaging with internal, published and unpublished material that shows the intricacies of how this city we call home was shaped for centuries. For the past decade, I have been asked by political actors to help with ideas that could transform this city. Now this book concludes with a set of strategies that any city administration could prioritize. I view Harare from an African perspective, and I am aware that there are many simplistic narratives churned from the north that views African cities as disorderly galore. We have to write from our own perspective!

The book will be available in Harare bookstores by April 1, 2025.

Enjoy the read and as usual this won’t be last!

Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding @cityofharare2. Thanks to @ChraHarare

PRAISE FOR THE MAKING OF AN AFRICAN CITY
‘In both colonial and contemporary Zimbabwe, preoccupation with the politics of rural land has overshadowed attention to urbanism and the urban question. In response, this book is a rich empirical narrative of the origins, growth, status and prospects of Harare, Zimbabwe’s primate city. Using ordinarily inaccessible archival and administrative data, it provides a sorely needed comprehensive account of how the post-2000 Fast Track Land Reform Programme unfolded in the city, the structural changes it occasioned as well as the opportunities and mammoth tasks required to make Harare the sustainable African sunshine city it aspires to be. Scholars are offered new material and a platform for further investigations and deeper theorization of post-colonial urbanization. It is a readable non-technical style presentation that will engage policy makers, bureaucrats, and ordinary citizens alike’ – Beacon Mbiba, Oxford Brooks University, UK.

‘A profoundly critical expose of Harare as a city in transition and transformation. The author traces Harare’s evolution since its founding spotlighting triggers for growth while, in the same vein, acknowledging episodes of tensions and regression. Deploying hard evidence from manifold accounts of concerted land, housing, and infrastructure experiences from across the city, the author draws out potential pathways for Harare’s future growth. A very engaging resource for anyone who is interested in what makes cities flourish!’ – George Masimba, Dialogue on Shelter, Zimbabwe.

‘This is an interesting delve into the development of Harare that spans decades from the establishment of the original city to current developments and the future of the city. The book offers a nuanced analysis of the political economy of the city drawing on the various roles of the diverse stakeholders and how their roles and interactions have evolved over time to produce the spatial formation that is Harare today. The author draws on secondary and primary data to unravel the complex and uneasy tensions and balancing acts that shape relationships between the state, the local authority, and ordinary citizens and how these play out to mold the city of Harare of today. Davison uses the themes of land governance, centre local relations, innovations, and politics to highlight how the power relations between the City of Harare and national government negotiate their positioning and deploy their power to exercise control over the formation of the city. The book uses case studies of specific examples to illustrate how this does not always work as well as the consequences. Interesting to note is the symbiotic and reinforcing relationship between the City of Harare and the Government of Zimbabwe in shaping the city’ - Gaynor Paradza, Public Affairs Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, and University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

[ROAPE journal @ROAPEjournal]

Marking the publication of Working People Speak – Oral Histories of Neoliberal Africa, the book's editors make the case for why oral histories matter & review the wide range of material collected from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, & South Sudan.

https://t.co/wWjkeWZvAS

[CODESRIA @CODESRIA]

📚@CODESRIA has drafted a bibliography of Thandika Mkandawire's work—a treasure trove of Africa's finest social science contributions. 🌍 A must-have resource for scholars in Africa and beyond!
#SocialScience #ThandikaMkandawire
👉https://t.co/NUUsiTZj9x

[Institute for Public Affairs in Zimbabwe @for_affairs]

'Democratic-constitutional institutions have been subverted and the rule of law has been shredded'
https://t.co/5kEKJZSYFN

[CODESRIA @CODESRIA]

🎥 Missed the Thandika Mkandawire Memorial Lecture 2024? No worries! The full video is now available on YouTube! 🌍
Watch Prof. Tade Akin Aina discuss “Vision, Value, and Values in the Transformation of higher education in Africa.”
📺 Watch now: https://t.co/kEpQW60atE

[LawyeringforAfrica @Lawyerin4Africa]

Mawazo Fellowship Programme
Deadline: Nov 10
https://t.co/7wvsLGNrSP

[SARChI Chair in Social Policy @sarchisp]

You are invited to the 2024 Thandika Mkandawire Memorial Lecture.

Date: Thursday, 10 October 2024.
Time: 3.00 p.m. (Central African Time) / 1.00 p.m. (UTC)

The memorial lecture will be delivered by Professor Tade Akin Aina.

Microsoft Team Link: https://t.co/mvx8NJau76.

[CODESRIA @CODESRIA]

📅 Join us on October 9th for a seminar in memory of Prof. Thandika Mkandawire, led by Eyob Balcha Gebremariam, discussing Mkandawire’s model for an African Developmental State and the Ethiopian experiment.@LSE_ID @LSEnews🕰️ 12.30-2.00 PM (UK Time)
🔗 https://t.co/b128R2GBLT

[CODESRIA @CODESRIA]

📊 How the Ethiopian experiment (1991–2018) sheds light on Thandika Mkandawire's model for an African developmental state and its lessons. #Development #Africa #ThandikaMkandawire
Read the full-text https://t.co/IDNsMKJTIv

[CODESRIA @CODESRIA]

📢 Join us for the Thandika Mkandawire Memorial Lecture 2024! 🌍

Read more here https://t.co/91pf73Ytpm

[Gatien Falconnier @gatien_falc]

We are looking for a PhD candidate to explore maize and sorghum comparative performances across sub-Saharan Africa, with the use of crop models:

https://t.co/yFXbCwbP3C

[African Writers Trust (AWT) @TrustAwt]

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR WRITERS!!

Open Call for Applications.
African Writers Trust is thrilled to announce an educative and enhancing opportunity for writers from East Africa and the Horn of Africa.

Follow link for application details https://t.co/uNctcEJ4oy

[Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS) @FRIAS_UFreiburg]

📅Deadline Approaching: Two more weeks to apply for our #Fellowships! We offer:

🚀Early Career Fellowships (up to 8 years after PhD)
👩‍🔬Senior Fellowships (8+ years after PhD)
🌍Senior Fellowships for #African Researchers in Sustainable Governance

👉https://t.co/xZPbm1jn4X

[The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation #IJR @_IJR_]

It is with deep sadness that the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation announces the passing of Dr. Webster Zambara, Senior Project Leader of Peacebuilding Initiatives. Dr. Zambara was a dedicated and esteemed member of our team, whose contributions to peacebuilding and conflict resolution for more than a decade, have left a lasting impact on communities across Africa.
Dr. Zambara's commitment to justice, reconciliation, and the promotion of peace was unwavering. His work has touched many lives and his legacy will continue to inspire us. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife Tracy, family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.
Details regarding a memorial service will be shared in due course. We ask that you keep Dr. Zambara’s family in your thoughts and prayers.

[Alex Beresford @A_Beresford]

JSAS is turning 50! Our latest issue revisits some of the core debates that have featured prominently in the journal for over five decades https://t.co/8sNSDAQgIk. 🧵 @JSAS_Editors

[Dr. Kenneth Ombongi, OGW @DrOmbongi]

Join us in October 16th,17th & 18th, 2024 for the upcoming onsite and online Mau Mau Conference.

Conference presenters, send your topic and 100 word abstract to:

[email protected]

For those who want to attend, please register on this link:-

https://t.co/iimTsYmjaG

[William Moseley @WilliamGMoseley]

My forthcoming book, Decolonizing African Agriculture, keeps getting more real. Thanks to Jennifer Clapp, @Million_Belay, Judy Carney and @HansonNyantakyi for wonderful reviews of the pre-published version. The book comes out in Nov. https://t.co/Q9HRKsfyY1

[Gender & Development @GaDjournal]

Inviting contributions for G&D's July 2025 Issue on 'Women's leadership in politics and governance: understanding the potential of transformative feminist leadership'!
Detailed call: https://t.co/WVbzpObXd5
Submit here: https://t.co/f92qFb6wPb
Deadline: 30 September, 11:59pm UTC