ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at some of the vocabulary of the participatory housing and urban development and planning paradigm that underpinned 'non-conventional' 'enabling' policies for urban housing and the concepts behind it. It examines impact on action, with emphasis on the role of government. Two fundamental issues are discussed: decentralisation and devolution. Managing the implementation of development plans through programmes and projects, particularly in low-income neighbourhoods, is increasingly being shown to benefit from partnership arrangements between the funders/financiers, regulators and the beneficiaries. The administration of service charges for day-to-day utility delivery has also often been shown to be more efficient when undertaken, at least in part, by the user communities, either in profit-sharing partnerships or through subcontracting arrangements with service providers. 'Decentralisation', a frequently loosely used term, embraces a range of different concepts and meanings. Devolution underpins the processes of good governance in terms of its democratic imperative, its effectiveness and its efficiency.
