Urban Planning in a World of Informal Politics: Chandan Deuskar (2022). University of Pennsylvania Press, 284 pages. $69.95 (hardcover).

"Urban Planning in a World of Informal Politics" by Chandan Deuskar is a comprehensive and mixed methods approach to understanding and addressing challenges in urban planning practices in the Global South. The book explores the connection between informal urbanization and clientelism, where political actors provide resources to the poor in exchange for political support. Using the case of Ghana, Deuskar demonstrates how colonial legacies and clientelism contribute to the persistence of informal settlements. The book offers guidance for a politically adaptive approach to planning that can be applied to other Southern countries. While the book heavily focuses on Ghana, it also includes relevant cases from other places for comparison. The findings of the book highlight the conflict between informal politics and urban planning and propose strategies for planners to effectively operate in environments dominated by informal politics. The book is recommended for planning professionals in Ghana and the Global South, as well as academic and public policy audiences interested in informal politics. [Extracted from the article]