Co-production of urban knowledge: Context approach for effective and efficient governance of cities

Abstract

Effective and efficient governance is driven by policies that prevail in urban contexts. Policies are usually the result of knowledge co-production, but the efficacy of the process of translating knowledge into policy is still not well defined in the Kenyan context. One example of this is the city of Kisumu, which has been the focus of knowledge co-production by researchers from Kisumu and Gothenburg, and when there is active involvement of academics, policymakers, and the private sector. The creation of networks and platforms has been instrumental in knowledge production and has allowed for multi-level co-production facilitating the governance of the city at different spatial and administrative levels. Understanding of the different contexts that have been key in the knowledge production, in turn, is important for the process of determining how these have been the drivers of urban knowledge for governance in Kisumu.