The notion that most governments in developing countries favor the urban sector in their development policies, thereby creating a widening gap between the urban and rural economies.Group of answer choicesUrban BiasLocalization economiesUrbanization economiesRural-urban migration

The agglomeration effects captured by particular sectors of the economy as they grow within an area.Group of answer choicesRural-urban migrationUrbanization economiesUrban biasLocalization economies

The part of the urban economy of developing countries characterized by small competitive individual or family firms, petty retail trade and services, labor-intensive methods, free entry, and market-determined factor and product prices.Group of answer choicesagglomeration economiescityinformal sectormigration model

Jared Diamond, "The Pros and Cons of Living in Cities" Download Jared Diamond, "The Pros and Cons of Living in Cities"Your essay should focus on the social tradeoffs of urbanization. What is gained and what is lost? As you read, consider the impact of urban areas on a whole country, not just within the cities themselves. If a country has a majority of its population living in cities, how does that affect the people who still live in rural areas? I'm sure you all have opinions on whether you would rather live in a city or in the countryside, but please try to focus on Diamond's arguments and insights.

a net migration from urban to rural areas

What is a national urban policy? National urban policies may be best understood by what most countries are missing. Cities are hubs of people, jobs and wealth, yet even many of the world’s most developed countries have no particular strategy for their success. In fact, many countries historically have taken a hostile attitude toward cities. Especially in rural countries, governments have viewed cities as drains on resources and competing centres of power. As a result, in many parts of the world, local authorities are weak institutions, left to fend for themselves against powerful ministers or other levels of government. At the same time, other development priorities can impact cities in a big way. Countries may have policies to boost certain industries. They may spend lots of money on roads, ports, housing and other infrastructure. They may even transfer money directly to local authorities. But beneath it all, there usually is no big-picture thinking about whether those decisions make cities stronger or weaker. By contrast, a country with a national urban policy has developed some vision guiding the growth and management of cities. UN-Habitat has a more formal definition: A national urban policy is “a coherent set of decisions derived through a deliberate government-led process of coordinating and rallying various actors for a common vision and goal that will promote more transformative, productive, inclusive and resilient urban development for the long term.”