Archive: Scott Beyer

Scott Beyer is a Columnist Fellow at Independent Institute's Catalyst. He is the owner of Market Urbanism Report, a media company that advances free-market city policy. He is also an urban affairs journalist who writes regular columns for Forbes, Governing Magazine, HousingOnline.com, and Catalyst. Follow him on Twitter: @marketurbanist.
Full Biography and Publications
The Rise of African Telecom
Rapid expansion of fiber, satellite, and mobile technology are improving day-to-day life in Africa - much of it thanks to private investment.
Scott Beyer | September 4, 2023
The Ingenuity of Third World Ridesharing
While commercial carpooling drags along in the U.S., there's much competition and innovation in the developing world.
Scott Beyer | August 28, 2023
Central Africa’s Singapore
Rwanda - namely its capital city Kigali - shows another case of the upsides versus downsides of authoritarian rule.
Scott Beyer | August 21, 2023
Ethiopia: No Property Rights, Much Chaos
Constant human reshuffling within Addis Ababa shows how hard life is when governments own all the land.
Scott Beyer | August 14, 2023
The Emergent Urbanism Of Nairobi
The city’s working-class areas show the urban typologies that fill in assuming strong market demand and limited government oversight.
Scott Beyer | August 7, 2023
Makoko: The City on Stilts
The Nigerian fishing village is a place of danger but also entrepreneurial spirit and governing autonomy.
Scott Beyer | July 31, 2023
Tourist Visas: A Path To Corruption
Third World countries sabotage their goal of attracting tourists and investors by making it difficult for either group to enter.
Scott Beyer | July 24, 2023
The Challenge Of Being An Island Nation
Sao Tome knows the logistical hurdles of being small and remote. Can economic liberalization improve things?
Scott Beyer | July 17, 2023
Kigali ‘Mototaxis’: Fast, Cheap, Ubiquitous Transport
Residents traverse the Rwandan capital by choosing among 30,000 motorcycle drivers.
Scott Beyer | July 10, 2023
The Third World: A Massive Shadow Economy
Two decades after Hernando de Soto’s The Mystery of Capital, little has changed about economic systems in the developing world.
Scott Beyer | July 3, 2023
Africa’s Free-Market Bus Systems
Entrepreneurs, not government, provide this crucial service. Yet the difference between systems in Kenya vs. South Africa shows the service diversity throughout the continent.
Scott Beyer | June 26, 2023
The Agrarian Urbanism of Africa
The informal, small-scale commerce that dominates African cities is enabled by farming and other agrarian activity that happens within cities themselves.
Scott Beyer | June 19, 2023