Synopses & Reviews
Producing against Poverty is an anthropological research on micro-entrepreneurs in Lima, Peru. It analyses the way micro-producers accumulate capital. The anthropological approach of the book starts with an analysis of the daily lives of the micro-producers. Its gender approach makes a comparison between the position of men and women throughout its argumentation. The author also analyses the conditions of labourers working for micro-producers. By paying extensive attention to the subcontracting links between micro-production and the large scale production process, she carefully builds up to general conclusions which go way beyond the micro level of analysis. Micro-production reproduces poverty by subordinating important participants of the production such as women and labourers. The ultimate conclusion is that the informal sector grows not only in times of economic recession, but also in times of economic growth.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [151]-163).
About the Author
Annelou Ypeij works as a researcher at the Department of Sociology of Erasmus University, Rotterdam.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements Chapter 1: Theories of the informal sector1.1 Introduction1.2 The neo-liberal approach to urban poverty1.3 The neo-marxist approach to urban poverty1.4 De Soto on informality1.5 Other approaches to informality in Lima1.6 Social embeddeness of economic activities1.7 Actor's choices and decisions1.8 The objects and methods of this study Chapter 2: Surviving in Lima2.1 Introduction2.2 Lima, a city of lost grandeur2.3 Urban integration and the growing distrust of the State2.4 The Fujishock2.5 Grassroots organizations2.6 Small-scale economic sector2.7 Shining Path2.8 Fieldwork in a violent context Chapter 3: Households3.1 Introduction3.2 Composition and life-cycle of the household3.3 Gender and power in everyday practice3.4 Sexual division of labor3.5 Income and budgeting3.6 Non-separated cash flows3.7 Location of the activities3.8 Women: equal producers of family laborers?3.9 Conclusions Chapter 4: Neighborhood networks4.1 Introduction4.2 Social networks in poor neighborhoods4.3 Productive activities and social networks4.4 Producers' networks4.5 Subcontracting networks4.6 Trust and Repetition4.7 Micro-producers, reputation and reciprocity4.8 Conclusions Chapter 5: Women, men and capital accumulation5.1 Introduction5.2 Female producers in the household5.3 Femal producers and neighborhood networks5.4 Female producers and markets5.5 Process of capital accumulation5.6 Female producers in serach of solutions5.7 Conclusions Chapter 6: Large-scale production processes6.1 Introduction6.2 Forms of subcontracting6.3 Reasons for subcontracting6.4 Gender and subcontracting6.5 Micro-company, large company, one production process6.6 Subordination and capital accumulation6.7 Conclusions Chapter 7: The labor process7.1 Introduction7.2 Labor conditions in general7.3 Wage laborers and the transition to producing on one's own account7.4 Wage laborers in distinct organizations of production7.5 Female wage laborers and the independent production organization7.6 Conclusions Chapter 8: Producing against Poverty: Conclusions8.1 Introduction8.2 The gendered process of capital accumulation8.3 A chain of subordination8.4 The internal dynmaics of the Liman small-scale sector8.5 Diverse ways of producing against poverty Appendix: Summary of caseReferences