Civil Society Organizations in the Informal Settlements of Buenos Aires: Service Providers and Forces for Change

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyze the historical roots and contribution to human development of civil society organizations in marginalized communities based on fieldwork undertaken in seven informal settlements of the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The paper provides evidence of a dense network of organizations whose principal function is the provision of social services, especially food assistance, through a complementary relationship with the state. The current effectiveness of the settlements' representative organizations-the principal vehicles through which community members voice their collective demands-is limited by a mix of factors intimately related to civil society-state relations, including irregularities in election processes, conflicts between organizations and lack of transparency in the allocation of public resources. The paper concludes that true empowerment of these communities to act as a unified force for change requires the strengthening of neighborhood organizations and greater government openness to civil society participation in public decision-making processes.

Elucidating the changing roles of civil society in urban sustainability transitions

“…Some civil society organizations operate as servicing social needs within communities that have been neglected-or even abandoned-by the state or, the market [1,3,4,5,6,7,19,23,26,37,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70]. They establish selfhelp dynamics [43,59,] and are part of the awakening social order that is able to have an "expanded sense of self" (following the new values of an aware and engaged citizenry by [26] and explore new social relations and new practices, as social innovation analysis in the TRANSIT project reflects.…”

A framework for urban integration: the case of Buenos Aires

“…Civil society organizations (CSO) provide an institutional structure through which community members can deliberate, channel common demands, act collectively, and build, what Stewart (2013) called, social competencies. This section uses the case of the civil society sector of the informal settlements of the City of Buenos Aires to analyse the sector's role in expanding individual capabilities and collective agency in marginalized communities (Mitchell, 2016). The analysis is based on a civil society organization survey and a household survey carried out during 2011-12 in seven of the City's informal settlements.…”

A framework for urban integration: the case of Buenos Aires

“…Civil society organizations (CSO) provide an institutional structure through which community members can deliberate, channel common demands, act collectively, and build, what Stewart (2013) called, social competencies. This section uses the case of the civil society sector of the informal settlements of the City of Buenos Aires to analyse the sector's role in expanding individual capabilities and collective agency in marginalized communities (Mitchell, 2016). The analysis is based on a civil society organization survey and a household survey carried out during 2011-12 in seven of the City's informal settlements.…”