Chapter 7: Rapid Urbanization and the Politics of the Urban Poor
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17 Apr 2012
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Chapter(7:(Rapid(Urbanization(and(the(Politics(of(the(Urban(Poor(
The$Third$World’s$Urban$Explosion$
The$number$of$people$living$in$cities$has$exceeded$the$rural$population.$
The$magnitude$of$the$expansion$has$placed$tremendous$strains$on$public$services,$
housing,$public$healthy$and$personal$safety.$
The$Political$Consequences$of$Urban$Growth$
1. Problems$that$exploding$populations$present$to$political$leaders$and$
government$planners$
2. The$political$attitudes$and$behaviour$of$city$dwellers$in$the$LDC’s$!$politics$
of$the$Urban$Poor$
The$Search$for$Employment$
3rd$World$vs.$Western$Urbanization$
1. $The$number$of$urban$migrants$and$the$size$of$3rd$world$cities$during$the$20th$
century$dwarf$the$extent$of$the$Wests’$urban$explosion$
2. The$Urban$explosion$of$the$west$occurred$during$a$time$of$unprecedented$
industrialization$and$economic$growth$
Many$of$the$urban$poor$who$are$unable$to$find$work$turn$to$the$informal$economy.$
Informal$Economy$
• Pro:$employs$vast$numbers$of$people,$contributes$a$substantial$proportion$of$
the$3rd$world’s$consumer$goods$
• Against:$workers$are$not$protected$
Public$Sector$is$another$source$of$employment$
• Problems$
o In$order$to$gain$support,$the$government$padded$payrolls$with$
unneeded$employees$
o Treated$as$a$political$plum$
Only$in$communist$countries$has$the$state$been$a$major$employer.$
Economic$policy$affects$on$the$job$market$
• Industrialization$
• Inflation$
Latin$America$implemented$economic$policies$designed$to$encourage$domestic$
manufacturing.$
Asia$began$with$protectionist$policies$but$then$opened$their$markets$to$the$
international$market.$
Austerity$programs$implemented$in$S.A.$reduced$employment$in$the$public$sector$
and$cute$government$spending$on$programs$that$benefitted$the$poor.$
The$Urban$Poor’s$Struggle$for$Housing$
There$is$little$profit$to$be$made$in$building$low$income$housing,$so$many$urban$poor$
must$live$in$self$made$housing,$such$as$slums.$$
Public$Housing$and$The$Role$of$the$State$
• Subsidized$housing$
o Too$costly$for$most$developing$nations$to$sustain$
o Political$plum$!$based$on$applicants$activism$
• Most$third$world$countries$are$too$poor$to$have$the$government$involved$in$
public$housing$