The Impact of Energy Use on Poor Urban Livelihoods in ... - DfID

RESEARCH FOCUS
2.1 Introduction
<strong>The</strong> impact <strong>of</strong> energy use on poor urban livelihoods in Arusha, Tanzania,
This chapter examines key issues pertaining to each <strong>of</strong> three interrelated bodies <strong>of</strong>
knowledge: poverty, energy and gender, relevant to the research. It concludes by
setting out the two hypotheses that are the focus <strong>of</strong> the study and by listing the
research questions that are used to test these hypotheses.
As explained in the previous chapter the study tests the hypotheses from a social
processes perspective. 8
2.2 Urban poverty, energy and gender relationships
2.2.1 Introduction
Africa is urbanising at a rate <strong>of</strong> 4 per cent per annum. 9 Already 37 per cent <strong>of</strong>
Africans live in cities and by the year 2030 this is expected to rise to 53 per cent.
(UN-Habitat: 03) Within these urban areas poverty is a growing phenomenon with
over 70 per cent <strong>of</strong> African urban citizens living in slums. (Ibid) Tanzania with a
population <strong>of</strong> 35.6 million in 2001 (HDI: 03), a third <strong>of</strong> which are currently living in
urban areas is characterised as the most rapidly urbanising country in Africa (Sida:
98).
How poverty is understood determines the way researchers, policy makers and
practitioners respond to it. This study acknowledges that Poverty is a
multidimensional phenomenon that can be 'conceived as absolute or relative, as lack
<strong>of</strong> income or failure to attain capabilities. It can be chronic or temporary, is
sometimes closely associated with inequity, and <strong>of</strong>ten correlated with vulnerabilities
and social exclusion. (Dessallien: 98,1) Any definition <strong>of</strong> poverty is incomplete
unless it takes account <strong>of</strong> how the poor themselves perceive their condition. This
study uses an urban livelihood framework to structure poor men and women's
perception <strong>of</strong> their condition. 10
Urban poverty is qualitatively different from rural poverty. It is characterised by the
dominance <strong>of</strong> the cash economy, increasing reliance on infrastructure and physical
assets over the natural environment and increasingly fragmented social relations.
(Meikle and Bannister: 03)
<strong>The</strong>re is a direct connection between access to modern energy and human, social
and economic development. (UNDP: 92; Mbewe:00;) <strong>Energy</strong> plays a critical role in
underpinning the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and improving the lives <strong>of</strong>
poor people across the world….<strong>The</strong> wide range <strong>of</strong> 'energy services' …….can have a
major impact on facilitating sustainable livelihoods….and significantly reducing
poverty. (DFID:02, p1)
<strong>Energy</strong> poverty, that is the absence <strong>of</strong> sufficient choice in assessing adequate,
affordable, reliable, safe and environmentally benign energy services to support
economic and human development, (Reddy: 00) constrains economic and human
8 A matrix <strong>of</strong> key social processes is provided at Appendix A2, source ODA,1995, Aguide for social
analyisis <strong>of</strong> projects in developing countries, HMSO
9 Twice as high as Latin America and Asia.
10 See Appendix B1
4
Development Planning Unit, UCL London
Dr. Sheilah Meikle and Patrice North