Overview

Contending that everyday sociability and social networks are central elements to an understanding of urban poverty, Opportunities and Deprivation in the Urban South draws on detailed research conducted in São Paulo in an examination of the social networks of individuals who identify as poor. The book uses a multi-methods approach not only to test the importance of networks, but also to disentangle the effects of networks and segregation and to specify the relational and spatial mechanisms associated with the production of poverty. It thus explores the different types of network that exist amongst the metropolitan poor, the conditions that shape and influence them, their consequences for the production of poverty and the mechanisms through which networks influence daily living conditions. A rigorous examination of poverty in a contemporary megacity, Opportunities and Deprivation in the Urban South will appeal to sociologists, political scientists and geographers with interests in urban studies, poverty and segregation and social networks.

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9781409442707

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Reviews

'In this important book, Marques deftly reveals the mechanisms through which social networks contribute to the reproduction and the amelioration of poverty. Combining a deep knowledge of social theory with powerful analytical tools, the book has major implications for breaking the cycle of poverty in Brazil and throughout the world.' Chris Ansell, University of California, Berkeley, United States 'Marques has produced a groundbreaking study that eschews simple assumptions about social capital, instead revealing how networks actually function and how the poor and non-poor, in distinct areas of a mega-city, use them to accomplish important tasks. Methodologically innovative, the book not only advances our understanding of how and why networks matter but also lays new foundations for creative research, policy and program design. Required reading.' Xavier de Souza Briggs, MIT, USA '... a reference work not only for what it offers in terms of understanding the mechanisms of poverty (re)production in large metropolises, but also because of the compelling research agenda that it establishes for the future.' Brazilian Political Science Review '... this is an impressive scholarly work with original research on an important topic of urban and social policy. Marques makes a strong case for a consideration of the range of social networks and the degree of residential isolation in assessing individual prospects for ameliorating poverty... Given its theoretical clarity and methodological creativity, I recommend this book for those interested in understanding the local forces shaping poverty and its possible amelioration, both in urban Brazil and in cities elsewhere in the world.' Journal of Latin American Geography

Author Information

Eduardo Cesar Leao Marques is Livre-docente Professor in the Department of Political Science and a researcher at the Center for Metropolitan Studies at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

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