Ensino e pesquisa

Resumo:

Urban poverty encompasses multiple dimensions including distinctive patterns of sociability, as we have recently learned from research carried out in the cities of São Paulo and Salvador, Brazil. Starting with preliminary studies focusing on the role personal networks play in the reproduction of urban poverty, this article aims to compare the personal networks of poor people in these two important Brazilian metropolises, focusing on different types of personal network. Preliminary findings reveal a wide variety of of network types, both in São Paulo and Salvador, but also show great similarity between the two cities. Results show that poor people’s networks are quite diverse, although in general they are smaller and less diversified in their sociability profiles than middle-class networks. We also confirmed the relevance of the structure of poor people’s networks – and their sociability proles – in explaining social conditions, looking at inclusion in the labor market, income generation and other dimensions (Marques, 2010a).