Multi-dimensional conflict and the resilient urban informal economy in Karachi, Pakistan

MacKie, Peter ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1494-0864, Brown, Alison M. B. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4566-4700, Mehmood, Abid ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3719-6388 and Ahmed, Saeeduddin 2022. Multi-dimensional conflict and the resilient urban informal economy in Karachi, Pakistan. International Development Planning Review 44 (2) , pp. 169-189.

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Abstract

This paper explores the resilience of the urban informal economy through multi-dimensional conflict. Karachi constituted an ideal case study for the research given the intensity and paradigmatic nature of the multi-dimensional conflict experienced in the city between 2008 and 2013. The paper applies a comparative frame in three sites (Sadar, Orangi and Lyari) to illustrate resilience of the informal economy and its role in supporting the urban poor in Karachi to survive and sometimes thrive, whilst also contributing to peaceful recovery and adaptation, albeit persistent divisions mean violence remains possible. The paper argues for greater recognition of and support for informal economies in urban policy, marking a shift away from the predominant neoliberal forms of governance that diminish the role of the state and burden already vulnerable people with the greatest risks, particularly in fragile, conflict-affected situations where half the world’s poor are predicted to live by 2030.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Geography and Planning (GEOPL) Sustainable Places Research Institute (PLACES)
Publisher:	Liverpool University Press
ISSN:	1474-6743
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	15 April 2021
Date of Acceptance:	15 April 2021
Last Modified:	14 Jun 2023 05:55
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/140512

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