Megacities
The Politics of Urban Exclusion and Violence in the Global South

Megacities: The Politics of Urban Exclusion and Violence in the Global South by Kees Koonings and Dirk Kruijt (Paperback) (ISBN: 9781848132962)

The so-called 'megacities' around the world are becoming the scene for deprivation and exclusion. This book examines world-wide trends in poverty and social exclusion, urban violence and politics, and links these to the challenges faced by policy-makers and practitioners in 'megacities' across the globe.

The twenty-first century is set to be the stage for the massive urbanization of the world's population. Particularly, the so-called 'megacities' around the world are rapidly becoming the scene for deprivation and exclusion, especially in what has come to be called the 'global south'. In such large-scale yet concentrated social environments, a complex set of relationships links poverty and exclusion to urban politics, power relations and public policy. Violent actors look for power in strategies that seek access to urban politics and policy-making. The urban poor are confronted with the challenge of charting pathways in their 'encounters with violence'. Local politicians, administrators, grass roots leaders and NGO officials are faced with the puzzle how to restore effective non-violent institutions, legitimate governance and citizen security. "Megacities" examines recent world-wide trends in poverty and social exclusion, urban violence and politics, and links these to the challenges faced by policy-makers and practitioners in 'megacities' across the globe.

Introduction 1. The Rise of Megacities and the Urbanization of
Informality, Exclusion and Violence - Dirk Kruijt &
Kees Koonings Part 1: The Social Dynamics of Exclusion and Violence in Megacities 2. Setting the Stage: Megacity\'s Violence and its Consequences in Rio de Janeiro - Janice Perlman 3. Coping with Urban Violence: State and Community Responses to Crime and Insecurity in Guayaquil, Ecuador - Caroline Moser 4. Middle Eastern Megacities: Social Exclusion, Popular Movements and the Quiet Encroachment of the Urban Poor - Asef Bayat 5. From Popular Movements to Drug Gangs to Militias: An Anatomy of Violence in Rio de Janeiro - Robert Gay Part 2: Political and Policy Dimensions of Urban Exclusion and Violence
6. Urban Governance and the Paradox of Conflict - Jo Beall 7. Shoot the Citizen, Save the Customer: Participatory Budgeting and Bare Citizenship in Porto Alegre, Brazil - Sergio Gregorio Baierle 8. Urban Exclusion and the (False) Assumptions of Spatial Policy Reform in South Africa - Susan Parnell and Owen Crankshaw 9. Crisis of the State, Violence in the City - Mariano Aguirre Conclusions: Governing
Exclusion and Violence in Megacities - Kees Koonings &
Dirk Kruijt About the Authors Bibliography Index