Slum Cities: The Impact and Influence of Politics on Social and Economic Conditions

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Slum Cities of Tomorrow
The lives of people living in slums have often been equated to the lives of the homeless, as they are characterized by poverty. The documentary by Encore + has sought experts’ opinions on the overall issues of living in slums across the globe, becoming an eye-opener for many other aspects associated with living in slums. The experiences that the experts in the documentary have garnered from the different slums across the globe have given them vast knowledge about life in such areas. The experts paint a picture that is quite different from the ordinary assumption that slums should be abolished and propose that the authorities should incorporate them into the system. The speakers concur with the notion that the existence of slums is not a choice but rather a forced scenario where individuals moving to urban areas find work but cannot find better housing. Bangalore slum in India and Kibera slum in Kenya are some of the slums featured in the documentary. Political decisions made outside the Bangalore slum have had a significant impact on its inhabitants’ social and economic experiences. As for the Kibera slum, the economic conditions have significantly influenced the inhabitants’ social and environmental experiences.
Bangalore Slum in India
Bangalore, which has since been renamed Bengaluru, is one of the largest cities in India and the capital of the southern state of Karnataka. According to India’s census data of 2011, Bengaluru had a population of over 8 million people, with its urban metropolitan area providing residence to over 8.5 million people (Census 2011 par. 2). According to government agencies, the city of Bangalore has an estimated 597 slums. However, external sources indicate that the city has over 2000 slums, and the discrepancy with the official government sources with that of the external researchers can be attributed to the rapid growth of slum areas with no certain boundaries (Raj par. 1). The social and economic situations of the people living in the slums of Banglore have been significantly influenced by the politics that are mainly attributed to the multiparty networks in the area.
Influence of Politics on Social Conditions
The organization of a group of people in society to champion the eradication of social problems and demand for development is directly impacted by the political alignment and the efficiency of the party networks. Slums in Bangalore have multiparty networks, leading to massive competition. The consequences of multiparty networks lessen the strengths of party networks in championing social and economic development while also weakening the vertical connectivity to politicians (Auerbach 111). Slums with multiparty networks are less likely to receive services from the political class, and the level of accountability is highly undermined. The slums in Bangalore exhibit a multiparty political network system. These slums have been subject to a high level of segregation by the political class, who take advantage of the inefficiency of the multiparty systems. The development of social facilities such as schools and hospitals has been greatly inhibited.
The lack of accountability by ...