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When Assets are Vulnerabilities: An Assessment of Informal Recyclers’ Livelihood Strategies in Buenos Aires, Argentina

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  • Parizeau, Kate

Abstract

In situations of protracted social inequality and poverty, many of the assets that low-income urbanites rely upon are precarious, and therefore may involve risks and vulnerabilities that undermine the sustainability of their livelihoods. This study investigates how the assets that informal recyclers (cartoneros) in Buenos Aires, Argentina rely upon may contribute to their vulnerability context, can require that they make trade-offs in other assets, and may be impacted by broader social and economic dimensions of vulnerability. The study finds that livelihood assessments could be enhanced through a conceptual recognition of the interplay between assets and vulnerabilities.

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  • Parizeau, Kate, 2015. "When Assets are Vulnerabilities: An Assessment of Informal Recyclers’ Livelihood Strategies in Buenos Aires, Argentina," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 161-173.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:67:y:2015:i:c:p:161-173
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.10.012
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    2. Carlos J. Gallego & Juan C. David & I. N. Gomez-Miranda & Sebastián Jaén, 2023. "Quantitative Analysis of Colombian Waste Picker’s Profile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-15, June.
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    5. Wittmer, Josie, 2021. "“We live and we do this work”: Women waste pickers’ experiences of wellbeing in Ahmedabad, India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    6. Colin C. Williams & Kwame Adom & Ioana Alexandra Horodnic, 2020. "Determinants Of The Level Of Informalization Of Enterprises: Some Evidence From Accra, Ghana," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 25(01), pages 1-24, March.
    7. James Rycroft & John M. Luiz, 2018. "Homelessness, Property Rights, and Institutional Logics," Working Papers 750, Economic Research Southern Africa.
    8. Yueyue He & Tanveer Ahmed, 2022. "Farmers’ Livelihood Capital and Its Impact on Sustainable Livelihood Strategies: Evidence from the Poverty-Stricken Areas of Southwest China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-24, April.

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