Rethinking ‘expert sense’ in international development: the case of Sierra Leone’s housing policy

Abstract

Experts have come to dominate global economic policies under certain institutional ideological discourse. But what happens when most of the policy players in developing countries do not belong to globalised institutions? This article interrogates the role of national officials in reinforcing Western institutional hegemony. A review of housing policies in Sierra Leone since independence, and interviews with housing sector officials, show that the current manifestation of such superstructure and its reinforcing nature also mask new economic interests. The review shows that local national officials, who are often presented as passive objects of power, actually have enormous interpretive agency, and the aggressive articulation of their exclusionary approach demonstrates specific actionable interventions which enable them to create space and advantage for themselves. The lack of a new articulative strategy means that commitment to local content remains only as paper plans and symbolic gestures.

Homelessness in Sierra Leone: An Overview of Social Work Intervention in Helping Homeless Population

“…Political authorities in Sierra Leone have not made homelessness a priority since every resident is exposed to and benefits from the social and cultural norms of the nation, which emphasize neighbourly kindness and the extended family system. irrespective of social and economic standing (Rogers, 2016). However, specialized shelters have been developed remotely over time to either house shelters for victims of domestic abuse or to offer emergency shelter for those affected by natural disasters (Tryggestad, 2017).…”

The “slow anatomy of change”: urban knowledge trajectories towards an inclusive settlement upgrading agenda in Freetown, Sierra Leone

“…Also, for instance, the 1993 World Bank report Housing: Enabling Markets to Work outlined the value of market mechanisms in encouraging housing supply. See Rogers (2016).…”