Book Review: Ordinary Families, Extraordinary Lives: Assets and Poverty Reduction in Guayaquil, 1978—2004

Abstract

"Longitudinal account of five families strategically accumulating assets to escape poverty in Guayaquil. Captures the causes and consequences of these developments through economic data and anthropological narrative, within the broader context of political, economic, and spatial changes in Ecuador. Covers such issues as housing, employment, family dynamics, violence, and emigration"--Provided by publisher. Introduction to Indio Guayas and the study -- Grappling with poverty : from asset vulnerability to asset accumulation -- A home of one's own : squatter housing as a physical asset -- Social capital, gender, and the politics of physical infrastructure -- Leadership, empowerment, and "community participation" in negotiating for social services -- Earning a living or getting by : labor as an asset -- Families and household social capital : reducing vulnerability and accumulating assets -- The impact of intrahousehold dynamics on asset vulnerability and accumulation -- Daughters and sons : intergenerational asset accumulation -- Migration to Barcelona and transnational asset accumulation -- Youth crime, gangs, and violent death : community responses to insecurity -- Research and policy lessons from Indio Guayas.