Youth, poverty and inequality in urban Tanzania: New perspectives, new interpretations

城市地区的年轻人处于坦桑尼亚面临的发展挑战的前沿。事实上，撒哈拉以南非洲的国家都以快速城市化和庞大且不断扩大的青年人口为特征，这两个主要的人口结构变化有可能“决定或破坏”该地区的发展。尽管城市化有可能带来新的社会和经济机会，但在包括坦桑尼亚在内的许多国家，城市化一直伴随着高度的贫困和不平等。这些问题由于缺乏提供服务和安全的住房以及缺乏稳定的工作来生存而加剧。尽管这些问题的规模和严重性很大，但人们对这对年轻人意味着什么知之甚少，因为他们正寻求通过谈判走上成年之路。由于他们在城市环境中面临的贫穷和不平等以及他们作为青年的地位，城市青年面临双重不利。然而，到目前为止，了解城市贫困的概念框架还没有扩展到青年，以探索这给他们带来的额外挑战。因此，这项研究在探索新视角和新解释什么是年轻人以及在普遍存在的贫困、不平等和有限的支持中寻找生计方面开辟了新的天地。它还探讨了城市青年的经历如何因年龄、性别和地理位置而异。首先，这项研究将考察不同资产和机构在塑造坦桑尼亚两个城市的年轻人面临的经济、社会和政治机会和障碍方面的作用。在这样做的过程中，它将使用创新的研究方法来捕捉青年经历的活力，并更好地了解促进青年取得积极结果的因素和导致青年产生消极结果的因素。通过这样做，它将优先考虑贫穷和福祉的本地化含义和定义，并揭示城市青年的经历、奋斗和成功的新见解。对城市青年本身的深入研究将与与父母和其他成年人的研究相对照。这将探讨对年轻人的看法和陈规定型观念如何影响他们得到的支持水平，并将青年的经历置于城市贫困、不平等和不利的更广泛的经历之中。在探索这两个领域时，这项研究将开辟新的天地，为从青年的角度理解城市贫困制定一个概念框架，并填补解决这一日益增多的政策优先事项所需的知识空白。在一个城市化和年轻人口压力不断扩大的国家和地区，这项研究有可能在学术界和政策界产生真正的影响，在整个研究过程中，我将与国际知名的专家和机构合作，以加强研究的质量和影响。必须在多个层面采取行动并进行批判性思考，以解决城市贫困、不平等和年轻人的优先事项。这包括在学术界和政策界，以及在普通公众和青年本身。因此，我将制作和传播丰富的证据基础，以加强我们对坦桑尼亚城市青年面临的挑战的了解。除了学术论文和在国际知名期刊和会议上的介绍外，传播渠道还包括国家报告、在坦桑尼亚和英国与政策制定者举行的利益攸关方会议，以及在坦桑尼亚和英国的公众参与，包括通过对青年友好的渠道传播调查结果。

Young people in urban areas are at the forefront of the development challenges facing Tanzania. Indeed, with countries across Sub-Saharan Africa characterised by rapid urbanisation and large and expanding youth populations, these two major demographic changes have the potential to 'make or break' the region's development. While urbanisation has the potential to open up new social and economic opportunities, in many countries, including Tanzania, urbanisation has been accompanied by high levels of poverty and inequality. These problems are exacerbated by a lack of serviced and secure homes in which to live, and a lack of stable jobs through which to survive. Despite the magnitude and severity of these problems, little is known about what this means for young people as they seek to negotiate the path to adulthood. Urban youth face dual layers of disadvantage, as a result both of the poverty and inequality that they face in the urban environment and of their status as youth. As yet, however, conceptual frameworks for understanding urban poverty have not been extended to youth to explore the additional challenges this creates for them. This research, therefore, breaks new ground in exploring new perspectives and new interpretations of what it means to be young and searching for livelihoods in the city amidst endemic poverty, inequality and limited support. It also explores how the experiences of urban youth vary by age, gender and geographic location. Firstly, the research will examine the role of different assets and institutions in shaping the economic, social and political opportunities and obstacles facing young people in two cities of Tanzania. In doing so, it will use innovative research methods to capture the dynamism of youth experiences and to reveal a greater understanding both of the factors that promote positive outcomes and of those that lead to negative outcomes for youth. In doing so, it will prioritise localised meanings and definitions of poverty and well-being and reveal new insight into the experiences, struggles and successes of urban youth. In-depth research with urban youth themselves will be contextualised against research with parents and other adults. This will explore how perceptions and stereotypes of young people influence the level of support they receive, as well as situate youth experiences within broader experiences of urban poverty, inequality and disadvantage.Urban contexts and youth communities are relatively unexplored territories of huge theoretical and policy relevance in Sub-Saharan Africa. In exploring these two areas, the research will be breaking new ground, both in the development of a conceptual framework for understanding urban poverty from a youth perspective and in filling in the knowledge gaps necessary for addressing this increasing policy priority. In a country and region where the pressures of urbanisation and young populations are expanding, this research has the potential to make a real impact in both academic and policy circles, and throughout the research I will work with internationally renowned experts and institutions to strengthen the quality and impact of the research. Action and critical reflection is necessary at multiple levels to address priorities of urban poverty, inequality and young people. This includes within the academic community and policy circles, as well as amongst the general public and youth themselves. Consequently, I will produce and disseminate a rich evidence base that enhances our understanding of the challenges facing urban youth in Tanzania across these audiences. Alongside academic papers and presentations in internationally renowned journals and conferences, dissemination channels will include a national report, stakeholder meetings with policy makers in Tanzania and the UK, and public engagement in Tanzania and the UK, including the dissemination of findings through youth-friendly channels.