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Of Poverty and Plastic (OIP): Scavenging and Scrap Trading Entrepreneurs in India's Urban Informal Economy
This volume applies the interdisciplinary 'field economics' approach to poverty analysis. The work is based on extensive fieldwork in the pre-urban edge of the sprawling metropolis of Delhi It assesses the economic, social, and political institutions and processes that structure the well-being,
agency, and activities of the poor who are waste scavengers and involved with plastic recycling.
Using a mix of survey and ethnographic data, it tells the complete story of how the waste picker at the lowest level of the chain fares in comparison to other kinds of occupational groups engaged in different parts of the scavenging and recycling chain, as well as in other parts of the informal
economy. It focuses on the following how occupational choices are dictated by low caste status; how these groups negotiate and surmount market failures and state failures to create a viable informal economy supporting numerous livelihoods and businesses; and how these groups gain or lose
from patronage links at the level of the state government and national political parties.
agency, and activities of the poor who are waste scavengers and involved with plastic recycling.
Using a mix of survey and ethnographic data, it tells the complete story of how the waste picker at the lowest level of the chain fares in comparison to other kinds of occupational groups engaged in different parts of the scavenging and recycling chain, as well as in other parts of the informal
economy. It focuses on the following how occupational choices are dictated by low caste status; how these groups negotiate and surmount market failures and state failures to create a viable informal economy supporting numerous livelihoods and businesses; and how these groups gain or lose
from patronage links at the level of the state government and national political parties.
- GenresIndia
308 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 13, 2018
I had high expectations for this book since it's one of the few on the topic of waste and plastic written about an Indian context. Unfortunately, I realise that I've lost my taste for academic monographs and found this book not as useful or interesting as I had hoped. The beginning and the end (although around 20 pages are missing from my edition from the last chapter and conclusion) are quite interesting in terms of looking at the lives of those plastic pickers and the attempts to legislate plastic
and recycling in Delhi. But as many social science academic texts, this one reads too much like a dissertation, filled with citations that would be more usefully relegated to footnotes and too much paying homage to the scholars who came before.
and recycling in Delhi. But as many social science academic texts, this one reads too much like a dissertation, filled with citations that would be more usefully relegated to footnotes and too much paying homage to the scholars who came before.
May 21, 2020
Relevant only if you're interested in the waste management space. It's really dense, but the last two chapters make for the density.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews