Thinking About Chronic Urban Poverty

This paper examines the issue of chronic urban poverty for the Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC).

The aim of the paper is to review relevant literature:

• Suggest research topics and ideas for the first two years of the five year project;
• Develop working hypothesizes to guide further ongoing research.

The paper seeks to open discussion of what are the characteristics of the chronically urban poor. Some of the working hypothesizes suggested are:

• Those who cannot participate in the labor market, the elderly, handicapped, children, perceive this as a problem along a continuum of limited capabilities rather than as a one off issue;
• Those with low level of human capital are less likely to benefit from labor and economic growth. It includes the group discussed earlier who are in employment but who do not receive sufficient remuneration to lift them above a poverty line;
• Those who do not have a patron or support, this is concerned with the critical importance of patron-client relations in the urban sphere;
• Those who are unlucky, this includes life chances particularly ill-health and industrial accidents;
• Those with limited assets, this is related to all of the above the acquisition of productive assets which can not only form a source of income but also act as buffer in the face of shocks.