Informal governance and power dynamics in rurban e-waste assemblages of Accra and Ashaiman, Ghana

Despite growing knowledge on informal e-waste economies in the Global South, thorough understanding is lacking of how power structures operate across different urban contexts and what this means for livelihood sustainability. Drawing on dyadic power theory and political ecology, this study examines informal governance in two contrasting e-waste communities in Ghana’s Greater Accra Region: Sodom-Agbogbloshie and Ashaiman. A mixed-methods analysis involving 325 structured interviews, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews, reveals two key insights. First, power asymmetries manifest differently depending on spatial configurations: Agbogbloshie’s residential-commercial overlap produces community-centered, oligarchic leadership marked by intense tribal-political conflicts (95% report power struggles), while Ashaiman’s commuter-based workforce generates market-driven, distributed authority with relatively stable trader networks (27% report struggles). Second, these governance structures shape livelihood outcomes distinctly: Agbogbloshie’s conflicts simultaneously undermine collective action yet foster adaptation and resilience, whereas Ashaiman’s market competition enables operational efficiency but concentrates vulnerability among marginal actors. Regression analyses confirm that site-level governance structures, rather than individual characteristics, predict power struggle experiences and livelihood effects. The study advances conceptual understanding of “rurban governance” by showing how informal authority emerges at the intersection of tribal affiliations, demolition-driven displacement, and value chain financing. We argue for context-sensitive policies that engage with – rather than bypass – informal power structures as avenues of potential governance innovation.