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Through a deep-dive into the city of Kinshasa, this book offers a close-up look at the idea that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a predatory state where political elites enrich themselves at the expense of the state, civil servants fend for themselves in the absence of a state salary, and citizens organise themselves in the absence of effective governance. Here Kristof Titeca focuses in turn on public transport, the police, businessmen and markets, the history of urban planning for the city, football, bars, and sexuality. In each case, he analyzes how predation takes place, as well as how it is resisted. Combining the literature on urban governance, corruption/predation, and political settlements, this books offers an original look at how predation and corruption operate in practice at the city-level.
About the author
Kirsof Titeca is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Development Policy and Management at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. He has worked on issues related with governance and conflict in Eastern and Central Africa for over years and has published widely in journals such as
African Affairs,
World Development,
Development & Change, and the
Journal of Modern African Studies. He has also published and appeared in popular outlets such as the
Washington Post,
Al Jazeera, BBC Radio, Deutsche Welle, CNN, France 24, and Radio France International.
