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This paper takes up some cases of extreme political violence involving political parties in the Third World in a comparative manner, drawing on a broad perspective on peace studies. The cases referred to will not be of an ethnic nature or synonymous with class war. These are instances of political violence between adherents of rival parties, either in connection with elections or for maintaining the hegemony or the support base of the party concerned. While election-related violence between parties can sometimes assume an ethnic character, as in Kenya, this paper is concerned with political violence involving members of the same community and class along partisan lines. Examples of political violence are drawn from Asia and Africa with emphasis on the violence in North Malabar, Kerala. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With rapid urbanization and migration to cities, particularly in developing nations, the focus and emphasis on city governance, politics, institutional capacity, and sustainability issues have become paramount in critical analyses and policy discussions. This paper examines the functional complexities of two large Municipalities in two port cities located in South Africa and India, specifically eThekwini (the city of Durban in the province of KwaZulu-Natal) and Cochin (in the state of Kerala). Following a brief overview of the characteristics of the two Municipalities, the paper delves into the system of governance, level of autonomy, participatory structures in place, the extent to which they can respond to the service delivery demands of the public in an inclusive manner, and approaches to addressing climate change concerns. The paper is contextualised with reference to the theoretical concept of the Right to the City. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]