Coping up in a town: the case of low income households in Mvuleni (Manzese)
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Date
1991
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
The onslaught of the economic crisis threw Tanzania in disarray both at macro- and micro at the household level it was marked by a high incidence of poverty and an intolerable deterioration in the material conditions of life of ordinary people. Due to a growing reduction in Purchasing power, the shortage of basic necessities and the lack of adequate public services, the burden OT poverty of the poor was shifted wholly into themselves. The majority of people were hard pressed to feed, clothe and shelter their families. And yet they needed incomes. In the absence of employment opportunities, they had to create their own employment out of little or no capital. The niches open to them were in the production and sale of immediate consumption goods where earnings were low and irregular. In the light of this entire people increasingly resorted to the employment of social resources. The focus of this study has been to investigate the nature and type of social and cultural resources and in particular the institution of mutual help and the manner in which they are utilized by the urban creatively low income households in their struggle for survival. The first chapter is an outline both of the worsening economic conditions in Tanzania and also of the major objectives of the study. In the second methods of data collection are discussed. In the third and fourth chapters field data is presented and analyzed. The third chapter describes the economic and social strategies employed by Mvuleni households; and in particular how the former are informed and circumscribed by the latter. The purpose of chapter four is to explore the way in which kin and neighborhood social networks are strategically employed in the daily lives of the low income households in Mvuleni. Chapter five is summary and conclusions.
Description
Available in print form, EAF collection, Dr. Wilbert Chagula Library (THS EAF HV4162.3.D7M87)
Keywords
Poverty, Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Poor as consumers, Economic conditions, 1945-1990
Citation
Mwami, Joachim A. L (1991) Coping up in a town: the case of low income households in Mvuleni (Manzese) ,Masters dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam