Living at the Edge

The issue of poverty eradication, or poverty reduction, has been at the core of development economics over the years. There had been concerted efforts to reduce rural poverty, while urban poverty was given less priority by policy-makers. However, urban areas are not free of the maladies of poverty. Urbanisation of poverty has emerged as a new phenomenon. This article attempts to use the sustainable livelihood framework to analyse changes in the livelihood strategies of the poor in the city of Kolkata. The main objective of the article is to present primary data obtained in field study as well as critical analyses on social and economic situation of urban poor in Kolkata. Due to limitations in its scope, the article does not discuss slum policy and management aspects. This article focuses on urban poverty literature based on sociological, economic and policy dimensions and explores current thinking on these issues of urban poverty.