Unpacking the practice of participation in participatory slum upgrading: Critical insights from Ghanaian informal settlements

The movement to democratize informal settlement policies has culminated in a unanimous agreement to pursue upgrading over evictions. Yet, research on participatory slum upgrading often laser focuses on quantifiable tangible outcomes (e.g., mileage of roads constructed) rather than intangible processes . Consequently, the primary objective of this paper is to nuance our understanding of the process of participation in the context of internationally financed programs. The paper empirically focuses on the World Bank GARID upgrading program being implemented in three neighborhoods of Accra, Ghana's capital and most populous city. A qualitative research design is adopted to collect data via surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions. Drawing on Luyet et al.’s participation framework and Steven Lukes' three faces of power, results reveal that diverse formal and informal techniques were deployed to operationalize genuine participation: community meetings, surveys, discussions in churches and mosques, social media, and community development committees. Despite these extensive strategies, the majority (62%) of household respondents were opposed to categorizing their involvement as ‘participation.’ Some factors accounting for this were 1) token engagement in lower rungs of information and consultation, 2) fatigue and burnout due to long community meetings and project delays, 3) high participation costs, 4) everyday local politics, and 5) the ‘yes-man’ syndrome emerging from a fear of the World Bank's power. The paper concludes by calling for the reimagination of the dialectical dynamics of power in the practice of genuine participation in informal contexts. Based on the findings, some recommendations are provided to advance inclusive participation for all .