The Urban Poor in Latin America

With three quarters of its population living in cities, Latin America is now essentially an urban region. Higher urbanization is usually associated with a number of positives, such as higher income, greater access to services, and lower poverty inc...

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Main Author: Fay, Marianne
Format: Publication
Language:English
en_US
Published: Washington, DC: World Bank 2012
Subjects:
GDP
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2005/06/6338091/urban-poor-latin-america
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/7263
id okr-10986-7263
recordtype oai_dc
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
en_US
topic ACCESS TO SERVICES
AFFORDABILITY
CASH TRANSFERS
CITIES
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
CONFLICT
COPING MECHANISMS
COPING STRATEGIES
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
EMPLOYMENT STATUS
EXPENDITURES
EXTERNALITIES
EXTREME POVERTY
FINANCIAL SERVICES
FOOD CONSUMPTION
GDP
GENDER DISCRIMINATION
HEALTH CARE
HEALTH INSURANCE
HEALTH OUTCOMES
HEALTH SERVICES
HOUSEHOLD LEVEL
HOUSEHOLD SIZE
HOUSING
HOUSING POLICIES
HOUSING SUBSIDIES
HUMAN CAPITAL
HUMAN RIGHTS
INCIDENCE OF POVERTY
INCOME HOUSEHOLDS
INCREASED ACCESS
INEQUALITY
LABOR FORCE
LABOR MARKET
LABOR MARKET POLICIES
LABOR MARKETS
LAND MARKETS
LAND POLICIES
LIVING CONDITIONS
LONG TERM
LOW INCOME
LOW INCOME HOUSING
MACROECONOMIC SHOCKS
MARKET ECONOMY
MICRO-FINANCE INSTITUTIONS
NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES
NUTRITION
OLD AGE
POLICY CONSIDERATIONS
POLICY INITIATIVES
POLICY MEASURES
POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
POOR ADULTS
POOR AREAS
POOR CHILDREN
POOR COMMUNITIES
POOR COMMUNITY
POOR HOUSEHOLDS
POOR LIVING
POOR NEIGHBORHOODS
POOR PEOPLE
POVERTY ALLEVIATION
POVERTY INCIDENCE
POVERTY PROGRAMS
POVERTY RATES
POVERTY REDUCTION
POVERTY STRATEGY
POVERTY TRENDS
PUBLIC INVESTMENT
PUBLIC POLICIES
PUBLIC SECTOR
PUBLIC SERVICE PROVISION
PUBLIC SERVICES
PUBLIC WORKS
QUALITY OF LIFE
REAL WAGES
RISK MANAGEMENT
RURAL AREAS
RURAL COMMUNITIES
RURAL POOR
RURAL POVERTY
SAFETY NET
SAFETY NET PROGRAMS
SAFETY NETS
SAVINGS
SAVINGS ACCOUNTS
SERVICE DELIVERY
SLUMS
SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
SOCIAL CAPITAL
SOCIAL EXCLUSION
SOCIAL EXPENDITURES
SOCIAL GROUPS
SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
SOCIAL SAFETY NETS
SOCIAL SERVICES
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
TARGETING
TEAM MEMBERS
TRANSACTION COSTS
TRANSFER PROGRAMS
TRANSIENT POVERTY
UNEMPLOYMENT
URBAN
URBAN AREA
URBAN AREAS
URBAN BIAS
URBAN CRIME
URBAN ENVIRONMENT
URBAN HOUSEHOLDS
URBAN POOR
URBAN POPULATION
URBAN POVERTY
URBAN RENEWAL
URBAN YOUTH
URBANIZATION
spellingShingle ACCESS TO SERVICES
AFFORDABILITY
CASH TRANSFERS
CITIES
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
CONFLICT
COPING MECHANISMS
COPING STRATEGIES
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
EMPLOYMENT STATUS
EXPENDITURES
EXTERNALITIES
EXTREME POVERTY
FINANCIAL SERVICES
FOOD CONSUMPTION
GDP
GENDER DISCRIMINATION
HEALTH CARE
HEALTH INSURANCE
HEALTH OUTCOMES
HEALTH SERVICES
HOUSEHOLD LEVEL
HOUSEHOLD SIZE
HOUSING
HOUSING POLICIES
HOUSING SUBSIDIES
HUMAN CAPITAL
HUMAN RIGHTS
INCIDENCE OF POVERTY
INCOME HOUSEHOLDS
INCREASED ACCESS
INEQUALITY
LABOR FORCE
LABOR MARKET
LABOR MARKET POLICIES
LABOR MARKETS
LAND MARKETS
LAND POLICIES
LIVING CONDITIONS
LONG TERM
LOW INCOME
LOW INCOME HOUSING
MACROECONOMIC SHOCKS
MARKET ECONOMY
MICRO-FINANCE INSTITUTIONS
NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES
NUTRITION
OLD AGE
POLICY CONSIDERATIONS
POLICY INITIATIVES
POLICY MEASURES
POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
POOR ADULTS
POOR AREAS
POOR CHILDREN
POOR COMMUNITIES
POOR COMMUNITY
POOR HOUSEHOLDS
POOR LIVING
POOR NEIGHBORHOODS
POOR PEOPLE
POVERTY ALLEVIATION
POVERTY INCIDENCE
POVERTY PROGRAMS
POVERTY RATES
POVERTY REDUCTION
POVERTY STRATEGY
POVERTY TRENDS
PUBLIC INVESTMENT
PUBLIC POLICIES
PUBLIC SECTOR
PUBLIC SERVICE PROVISION
PUBLIC SERVICES
PUBLIC WORKS
QUALITY OF LIFE
REAL WAGES
RISK MANAGEMENT
RURAL AREAS
RURAL COMMUNITIES
RURAL POOR
RURAL POVERTY
SAFETY NET
SAFETY NET PROGRAMS
SAFETY NETS
SAVINGS
SAVINGS ACCOUNTS
SERVICE DELIVERY
SLUMS
SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
SOCIAL CAPITAL
SOCIAL EXCLUSION
SOCIAL EXPENDITURES
SOCIAL GROUPS
SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
SOCIAL SAFETY NETS
SOCIAL SERVICES
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
TARGETING
TEAM MEMBERS
TRANSACTION COSTS
TRANSFER PROGRAMS
TRANSIENT POVERTY
UNEMPLOYMENT
URBAN
URBAN AREA
URBAN AREAS
URBAN BIAS
URBAN CRIME
URBAN ENVIRONMENT
URBAN HOUSEHOLDS
URBAN POOR
URBAN POPULATION
URBAN POVERTY
URBAN RENEWAL
URBAN YOUTH
URBANIZATION
Fay, Marianne
The Urban Poor in Latin America
geographic_facet Latin America & Caribbean
relation Directions in Development
description With three quarters of its population living in cities, Latin America is now essentially an urban region. Higher urbanization is usually associated with a number of positives, such as higher income, greater access to services, and lower poverty incidence, and, Latin America is no exception. Today, urban poverty incidence, at 28 percent, is half that of in rural areas; extreme poverty, at 12 percent, is a third. Despite this relatively low poverty incidence, the absolute number of poor people is high, and most studies agree that about half of Latin America's poor live in urban areas. The Bank's own estimates suggest that 60 percent of the poor (113 million people) and half the extreme poor (46 million individuals) live in urban areas. The report reviews what is specifically urban about poor people living in cities, which reveals a number of facts, critical to understanding the challenges facing the urban poor, and the means to address these challenges. Three preconceived ideas are discussed, that tend to cloud judgment about urban poverty. All three spring from the common misperception that urban statistics are representative of the urban poor. However, the relatively low incidence of poverty in cities, combined with Latin America's high inequality, imply urban statistics are almost never representative of the urban poor. Concerning the differences between urban and rural poor, the need for differentiated strategies to tackle urban as opposed to rural poverty is implied, and, the first and most important differential is the greater integration of the urban poor into the market economy. Second, while urban areas are not systematically unequal than rural areas - it depends on the country, and, within countries, on the city - they are much more heterogeneous socio-economically, or with respect to economic activities and processes. Third, heterogeneity notwithstanding, Latin American cities tend to be highly segregated. As a result, social exclusion coexists with (relative) physical proximity to wealth, services and opportunities. This gives rise to negative externalities, or neighborhood effects that result in a lower ability to access jobs, lower earnings, and lower educational achievements. Fourth, social networks are less stable in urban areas, with relationships based more on the quality of reciprocal links between individuals and friends, than on familial obligations. Fifth, urban living also means much greater exposure to organized crime, drugs and gang violence. This is true for the population as a whole, but it has particularly dismal implications for the poor living in the slums of Latin America's large cities, where drug-traffic is now pervasive. Finally, another important characteristic of urban poverty has to do with overwhelmed, rather than absent services. The underlying hypothesis of this report is that, indeed, the causes of poverty, the nature of deprivation, and the policy levers to fight poverty are, to a large extent, site specific.
author2 Fay, Marianne
author_facet Fay, Marianne
Fay, Marianne
format Publications & Research :: Publication
author Fay, Marianne
author_sort Fay, Marianne
title The Urban Poor in Latin America
title_short The Urban Poor in Latin America
title_full The Urban Poor in Latin America
title_fullStr The Urban Poor in Latin America
title_full_unstemmed The Urban Poor in Latin America
title_sort urban poor in latin america
publisher Washington, DC: World Bank
publishDate 2012
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2005/06/6338091/urban-poor-latin-america
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/7263
_version_ 1764399541924134912
spelling okr-10986-72632021-04-23T14:02:28Z The Urban Poor in Latin America Fay, Marianne Fay, Marianne ACCESS TO SERVICES AFFORDABILITY CASH TRANSFERS CITIES CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK CONFLICT COPING MECHANISMS COPING STRATEGIES DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES EMPLOYMENT STATUS EXPENDITURES EXTERNALITIES EXTREME POVERTY FINANCIAL SERVICES FOOD CONSUMPTION GDP GENDER DISCRIMINATION HEALTH CARE HEALTH INSURANCE HEALTH OUTCOMES HEALTH SERVICES HOUSEHOLD LEVEL HOUSEHOLD SIZE HOUSING HOUSING POLICIES HOUSING SUBSIDIES HUMAN CAPITAL HUMAN RIGHTS INCIDENCE OF POVERTY INCOME HOUSEHOLDS INCREASED ACCESS INEQUALITY LABOR FORCE LABOR MARKET LABOR MARKET POLICIES LABOR MARKETS LAND MARKETS LAND POLICIES LIVING CONDITIONS LONG TERM LOW INCOME LOW INCOME HOUSING MACROECONOMIC SHOCKS MARKET ECONOMY MICRO-FINANCE INSTITUTIONS NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES NUTRITION OLD AGE POLICY CONSIDERATIONS POLICY INITIATIVES POLICY MEASURES POLITICAL PARTICIPATION POOR ADULTS POOR AREAS POOR CHILDREN POOR COMMUNITIES POOR COMMUNITY POOR HOUSEHOLDS POOR LIVING POOR NEIGHBORHOODS POOR PEOPLE POVERTY ALLEVIATION POVERTY INCIDENCE POVERTY PROGRAMS POVERTY RATES POVERTY REDUCTION POVERTY STRATEGY POVERTY TRENDS PUBLIC INVESTMENT PUBLIC POLICIES PUBLIC SECTOR PUBLIC SERVICE PROVISION PUBLIC SERVICES PUBLIC WORKS QUALITY OF LIFE REAL WAGES RISK MANAGEMENT RURAL AREAS RURAL COMMUNITIES RURAL POOR RURAL POVERTY SAFETY NET SAFETY NET PROGRAMS SAFETY NETS SAVINGS SAVINGS ACCOUNTS SERVICE DELIVERY SLUMS SOCIAL ASSISTANCE SOCIAL CAPITAL SOCIAL EXCLUSION SOCIAL EXPENDITURES SOCIAL GROUPS SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS SOCIAL SAFETY NETS SOCIAL SERVICES SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TARGETING TEAM MEMBERS TRANSACTION COSTS TRANSFER PROGRAMS TRANSIENT POVERTY UNEMPLOYMENT URBAN URBAN AREA URBAN AREAS URBAN BIAS URBAN CRIME URBAN ENVIRONMENT URBAN HOUSEHOLDS URBAN POOR URBAN POPULATION URBAN POVERTY URBAN RENEWAL URBAN YOUTH URBANIZATION With three quarters of its population living in cities, Latin America is now essentially an urban region. Higher urbanization is usually associated with a number of positives, such as higher income, greater access to services, and lower poverty incidence, and, Latin America is no exception. Today, urban poverty incidence, at 28 percent, is half that of in rural areas; extreme poverty, at 12 percent, is a third. Despite this relatively low poverty incidence, the absolute number of poor people is high, and most studies agree that about half of Latin America's poor live in urban areas. The Bank's own estimates suggest that 60 percent of the poor (113 million people) and half the extreme poor (46 million individuals) live in urban areas. The report reviews what is specifically urban about poor people living in cities, which reveals a number of facts, critical to understanding the challenges facing the urban poor, and the means to address these challenges. Three preconceived ideas are discussed, that tend to cloud judgment about urban poverty. All three spring from the common misperception that urban statistics are representative of the urban poor. However, the relatively low incidence of poverty in cities, combined with Latin America's high inequality, imply urban statistics are almost never representative of the urban poor. Concerning the differences between urban and rural poor, the need for differentiated strategies to tackle urban as opposed to rural poverty is implied, and, the first and most important differential is the greater integration of the urban poor into the market economy. Second, while urban areas are not systematically unequal than rural areas - it depends on the country, and, within countries, on the city - they are much more heterogeneous socio-economically, or with respect to economic activities and processes. Third, heterogeneity notwithstanding, Latin American cities tend to be highly segregated. As a result, social exclusion coexists with (relative) physical proximity to wealth, services and opportunities. This gives rise to negative externalities, or neighborhood effects that result in a lower ability to access jobs, lower earnings, and lower educational achievements. Fourth, social networks are less stable in urban areas, with relationships based more on the quality of reciprocal links between individuals and friends, than on familial obligations. Fifth, urban living also means much greater exposure to organized crime, drugs and gang violence. This is true for the population as a whole, but it has particularly dismal implications for the poor living in the slums of Latin America's large cities, where drug-traffic is now pervasive. Finally, another important characteristic of urban poverty has to do with overwhelmed, rather than absent services. The underlying hypothesis of this report is that, indeed, the causes of poverty, the nature of deprivation, and the policy levers to fight poverty are, to a large extent, site specific. 2012-06-06T16:07:38Z 2012-06-06T16:07:38Z 2005 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2005/06/6338091/urban-poor-latin-america 978-0-8213-6069-9 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/7263 English en_US Directions in Development CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank Washington, DC: World Bank Publications & Research :: Publication Publications & Research :: Publication Latin America & Caribbean