Angola is the second largest oil producing country in Africa and its capital city, Luanda, has one of the highest costs of living in the world.  A majority of the population in Angola’s capital lives in informal settlements on the outskirts of the city because they cannot afford to live in the city itself.  

Interested in how the government might resolve such a problem, Professor Anne Pitcher went to this African nation to investigate how a post war, resource rich, authoritarian regime might implement a policy to mitigate its housing shortage.   Because data on Angola is extremely limited, Pitcher had to engage in fieldwork to discover the extent and issues surrounding urban housing provision.   

Pitcher confronted other difficulties as well, such as the high cost of conducting research in a very expensive post-war economy, with limited services available to assist her.  However, in spite of these hurdles, Professor Pitcher also encountered memorable moments that made this research trip a unique adventure.

Click here for the full story on the government's approach to managing the housing problem in this unusual economy.