Abstract

BAYON, María Cristina. Inequality and Processes of Social Exclusion. Socio-Spatial Concentration of Disadvantages in Greater Buenos Aires and Mexico City. Estud. demogr. urbanos [online]. 2008, vol.23, n.1, pp.123-150. ISSN 2448-6515.  https://doi.org/10.24201/edu.v23i1.1305.

The deterioration and reduction of employment opportunities for the most disadvantaged sectors and the exacerbation of the unequal access to and quality of health and education services have been accompanied by a process of growth and the exacerbation of the spatial concentration of poverty. This article explores these processes and the specificities of the poorest localities in two Latin American metropolitan areas: Florencio Varela in Greater Buenos Aires and Chimalhuacán in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area. Poverty, poor education levels, job precariousness, unemployment and lack of protection, inadequate provision of infrastructure and access to services are the main aspects analyzed; the article also highlights the cumulative, concentrated nature of these disadvantages. Emphasis is placed on the fact that the feedback and mutual reinforcement of these dimensions helps consolidate the process of social collapse while perpetuating situations of deprivation.

Keywords : concentration of disadvantages; inequality; fragmentation; social exclusion processes; Greater Buenos Aires; Mexico City.