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The Impact of Urbanisation on Political Regimes in Africa: A Literature Review

Megatrends Working Paper 2022 03, 23.12.2022, 24 Pages

doi:10.18449/2022MTA-WP03

The working paper finds that urbanisation does not automatically lead to democratisation, but structures the way citizens relate to the state. While urban density facilitates collective accountability demands, the link between urbanisation and individual accountability relationships with the state is less straightforward. The reviewed evidence suggests that the force to reckon with is not the middle class, but rather the poor masses. It is not enough for governments to cater to the elites anymore, as the share of the urban poor becomes too large to ignore.