Access to power: politics and the urban poor in developing nations
Cities in the developing world have grown dramatically in the past twenty-five years. Roughly 200 million people have moved, in one short generation, from the rural districts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America into the cities, while an equal number have been born there. Most of these new city dwellers are extremely poor. The author elucidates the implcations of this rapid growth and contaminant poverty for politics. Unlike many scholars who have sought an all-encompassing theory to explain the political behavior of the urban poor, Professor Nelson emphasizes the complex variety in the economic, social, and political circumstances that influence this behavior. Using a broad range of case and statistical materials from three continents, she surveys the structure and nature of urban poverty in developing nations and highlights the importance of migration. She then considers the means by which the urban poor try to defend and promote their interests through political participation. Four broad patterns emerge: patron-client relationships, ethnic ties, neighborhood and occupational associations, and political parties seeking support from the urban poor. Professor Nelson finds that each pattern has different potential for helping as well as for co-opting the poor. An extensive bibliography is included.
- OSTI ID:
- 6473003
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Politics of urban transportation innovation
Urban air pollution in Latin America and the Caribbean