Poverty and Democracy: Self-Help and Political Participation in Third World Cities - Couverture rigide

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 184277204X ISBN 13 : 9781842772041

Editeur : Zed Books Ltd, 2003

Synopsis

Problems of poverty and democratisation, and the way they can mutually impact, are among the most pressing concerns of our times. Can the ever-widening gap between rich and poor both within countries and worldwide be reduced? How can those most seriously affected -- the poor themselves -- become active in this process? Has the recent wave of democratisation improved their chances of doing so? What can be done by donor agencies and non-governmental organisations of the North and the South to provide meaningful assistance? These are among the questions addressed in this book. Its focus is on those sections of the population where these problems have become most acute, i.e. the inhabitants of 'marginalised' settlements in large cities -- the ever-sprawling favelas, poblaciones, bidonvilles, quartiers pr‚caires, slums, and squatter areas. Field research was carried out in four countries -- Brazil, Chile, Ivory Coast and Kenya -- based on a systematic comparative design involving two cities and four marginalised settlements in each country. The methods included surveys, interviews and observation in close cooperation with local social and political groups. In this way, a unique comparative 'view from below' of recent developments and their consequences for the urban poor emerges. The research focused on the national and local contexts and the specific forms of social structure, interest organisation, political culture and political participation. The results make clear some of the common elements and causes, but also the great diversity of political cultures within which the 'active poor' seek to improve their lives. Here lie also some of the concrete possibilities for effective support by external agencies.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Dirk Berg-Schlosser is 'Pradakan' of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Marburg in Germany. He completed his PhD in Political Science in 1979 at the University of California, Berkeley in the USA. He was research associate at the Institute of African Studies, University of Nairobi in Kenya from 1973-1974. He is a member of the American Political Science Association (APSA) and the African Studies Association (ASA), and is a member of the Executive Committee of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR). He is currently engaged on several research projects covering areas such as democratisation in Eastern Europe and social and political participation in marginal settlement areas of Third World cities. Since 1966 he has conducted field research in many parts of the world. Norbert Kersting is Assistant Professor at the Institute for Political Science at the Philipps University in Marburg, Germany, where he acquired his PhD in 1994. His fieldwork has focussed on Zimbabwe. He is the Secretary of the Research Committee 'Comparative Studies on Local Government and Politics' of the International Political Science Association (IPSA). He has published monographs, articles and conference papers in German in the fields of local government reform and new public management, democracy and poverty, and political science research methodology.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Zed Books Ltd
• Date d'édition: 2003
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 184277204X
• ISBN 13: 9781842772041
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 256
• Éditeur: Berg-Schlosser Dirk, Kersting Norbert
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible