CAPACITY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES IN GOVERNING INNER-CITY PETTY TRADING. A CASE OF DODOMA CITY COUNCIL IN TANZANIA.

Abstract

Context and background Presently, in developing countries, growth of major cities is characterized by pressure on livelihood activities especially on potential inner-streets which attract variety of users including petty traders to interact on prime spaces hence leading to increased pressure on governing informal activities. Legally, in a conventional point of view, local government authorities are considered as key actors for successful petty trading governance capacity. Despite current development agendas and policies on informal economy and space governance, still there is an observed practical and theoretical gap thus making knowledge on the capacity of local government authorities’ governance in petty trading being limited. Goal and Objectives: The present paper explores capacity of local government authorities in governing inner-city petty trading. Particularly, it focuses on examining local government authorities’ petty trading governance objectives, actors, coordination and rationality with regard to their contribution towards effective local government authorities petty trading governance capacity. Methodology: This paper uncovered empirical evidences from Dodoma city council actors and selected commercial, institutional, pedestrian, recreational inner streets accommodating petty trading activities in Dodoma National capital city. Mixed research strategy was adopted and qualitative and quantitative data were collected using official interviews to the city council officials, interviews to the petty traders, focus group discussion with city council officials and street observations. Results: The findings uncovered that, local government authority petty trading governance is complex structured with involvement of more than one actor within and yet, its capacity is being restrained by disjointed execution of their functions and limited potential permanent spaces with the continuum demand on timely decisions to make rational space governance. Land officials and Trade and finance officials hold more powers over other actors within local government authorities thus, limiting the effective governance power capacity to be more replicable. The study suggests on the need to balance power and mandates of each actor to avoid conflicting interests and maximize execution commitment through timely and well-constructed cross-sectorial institutional framework which sensitize representatives from ground beneficiaries.

Keywords

• capacity
• local government authority
• governance
• inner-city streets
• petty trading