The Issues and Social Economic Potentials of Urban Marginal Groups in Indonesia

Abstract

Urban poverty is a complex issue related to employment, income, hous- ing, and other social pathological problems, such as social incompetence and vul- nerability to crimes and violence. Urban marginal groups consist of a group of people that experience one or more aspects of removal, discrimination, or exploita- tion in urban social, economic, and political life. This group may include homeless people, beggars, and scavengers.They are the consequences ofurban development, industrialization, globalization, modernization, and urbanization. This paper aims to map the issues encountered along with the social-economic potentials and the opportunities that could be developed to elevate their social functions. The app- roach used is a mixture of quantitative and qualitative with survey methods, in- depth interviews, and observations. The population and respondents live in social service institutions for the homeless and beggars in major cities in six provinces in Indonesia which is determined using purposive sampling. The study results show that they have low income, poor health conditions, low level of education, are vulnerable, have limited access to any services, and have an awful living situation. In addition, they tend to expend more than save; hence they are very vulnerable to being tangled in debt. Homeless and beggars are commonly in the productive age, thus they have excellent endurance and physical condition. Meanwhile, scav- engers with their garbage businesses hold a promising social capital potential to overcome the garbage pollution in an urban area while at the same time providing economic and social benefits. Collaboration of stakeholders from diverse sectors is imperative to encourage this group to be able to resolve the limitation experienced. Keywords: urban marginal group · homeless and beggars · scavengers · social-economic potential