INCOME MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES of ELDERLY SHANTY TOWN RESIDENTS in GREATER BUENOS Airesj
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INCOME MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES OF ELDERLY SHANTY TOWN RESIDENTS IN GREATER BUENOS AIRESj Submitted by Peter Lloyd-Sherlock for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Economics, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London. November 1994. UMI Number: U062705 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U062705 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 F 7/70 Xc31 THESIS ABSTRACT. The thesis examines and accounts for patterns of income maintenance among elderly shanty town residents in Greater Buenos Aires (GBA), Argentina. It uses a framework which includes both macro-level institutional responses to ageing (such as national pension and assistance programmes) and responses at the micro level (individual and household strategies). First, the thesis accounts for the high proportion of elderly in Argentina and explains the origin of shanty towns in GBA. This is followed by an analysis of the evolution of official social security programmes at the national and local levels and the extent to which gaps in them have been filled by non-state institutions. Particular attention is paid to the up-grading of limited, pluralistic initiatives in the early twentieth century, the imposition of a public sector welfare monopoly in the 194 0s and the gradual reintroduction of the voluntary and private sectors since the 1970s. Despite the development of a complex bureaucratic apparatus, the mismanagement of insurance funds and an inconsistent commitment to assistance financing prevented universal state protection for the elderly. Case studies of three shanty towns draw attention to the significance of community initiatives for elderly welfare. Whilst these perform a number of functions, they serve primarily as conduits for resources from supra-local state and non-state agencies. A questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews demonstrate the economic dynamics of individual households containing elderly members. It is shown that most elderly combine income from a number of sources, including pensions, continued employment and family support and that the relative importance of these different sources is strongly influenced by their gender and labour histories. The significance of bureaucratic obstacles and disinformation in preventing access to support from state programmes is also highlighted. 2 CONTENTS. List of tables 4 List of figures 8 List of maps 8 Note on interviews and translations 9 List of abbreviations 10 Glossary 12 Acknowledgments 13 Dedication 14 Chapter one: Introduction 15 Chapter two: Ageing, employment and shanty towns 41 in Greater Buenos Aires: general considerations Chapter three: The institutional framework of 91 elderly income maintenance in Greater Buenos Aires Chapter four: The case studies: general features 197 and local initiatives for the elderly Chapter five: Individual strategies 316 Chapter six: Conclusions 3 96 Appendix 4 06 Bibliography 411 3 LIST OF TABLES. Table 1:1 Economically active population covered by social insurance in selected Latin American countries, 1960-85. 24 Table 11:1 Average life expectancy in Argentina, 1869-1948. 43 Table 11:2 Place of birth of the Argentine population, 1869-1990. 48 Table 11:3 Age structure by place of birth (%), 1895-1991. 48 Table 11:4 Population of Greater Buenos Aires, 1869-1991. 54 Table 11:5 Components of demographic growth in Greater Buenos Aires (%), 1855-1970. 55 Table 11:6 Place of birth of population resident in Buenos Aires, 1947. 57 Table 11:7 Sectoral composition of the labour force, 1900-1967. 60 Table 11:8 Proportion of total urban employment in the urban informal sector (UIS), 1950-1992 (%). 62 Table 11:9 Age and poverty among household heads in Greater Buenos Aires, 1980-1987. 65 Table 11:10 The shanty town population of Greater Buenos Aires, 1947-1991. 68 Table 11:11 The conventillo population of the Federal Capital, 1880-1913. 70 Table 11:12 Industrial employment in Greater Buenos Aires, 1935-1984. 74 Table 11:13 Gross product of the Argentine public and private construction sectors, 1900-1969 (millions of 1960 pesos). 76 Table 11:14 The proportion of over 60 year-olds in in the Province of Buenos Aires (PBA) , 1981. 87 Table 11:15 Housing and the elderly in selected school districts in the Federal Capital, 1980 and 1991. 88 4 Table 111:1 Social assistance funding by the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y Culto, 1905-42. 98 Table 111:2 Social insurance coverage, 1950-1990. 106 Table 111:3 Value of social insurance benefits, 1971-1990. Ill Table 111:4 Geographical social insurance coverage in selected areas, 1970-1990. 120 Table 111:5 Variations in pension payments by fund, June 1991. 123 Table 111:6 Non-contributory pensions granted by ANSES and the National Congress, 1985 to 1992. 128 Table 111:7 Membership of welfare organisations in the Federal Capital, 1914. 142 Table 111:8 Mutual aid society expenditure in 1943. 144 Table 111:9 Period of foundation of NGOs still operational by June 1992. 147 Table 111:10 Affiliates to private insurance schemes, 1988-1992. 171 Table 111:11 Proportion of total and elderly population living alone, 1947-91. 174 Table 111:12 Changes in the structure of Argentine households, 1970-91 (% of total households). 174 Table 111:13 Comparison of household structure between Federal Capital and Argentina as a whole and between over 65 year- olds and the total population, 1980 and 1990. 175 Table 111:14 Individual survey data cerca 1990: the structure of households containing elderly in provincial capitals and La Boca (per cent). 177 Table 111:15 Daily activities of over 60 year- olds, 1989. 180 Table 111:16 Degree of economic support/autonomy from other household or family members, cerca 1989. 181 5 Table 111:17 Rates of economic activity in Argent ina, 1950-1990. 185 Table 111:18 Additional sources of income (other than benefits, family or employment) for pensioners. 192 Table IV:1 Levels of illiteracy in villas and Argentina as a whole, 1980. 200 Table IV:2 Attendance of villeros at educational establishments, 1980. 201 Table IV:3 Poverty indicators for Villa Jardin and Argentina, 1980. 212 Table IV:4 Population estimates for Villa Azul, 1981-1990. 248 Table IV:5 Age and sex structure of Villa Azul, 1990. 249 Table IV:5 Annual number of meetings held by the Grupo de la tercera edad "Union y esperanza", 1988-1992. 261 Table IV:6 INDEC data for Villa Zavaleta's census district, 1980. 284 Table V:1 Age and sex structure of the sample households, 1992/3. 321 Table V:2 Place of birth. 322 Table V:3 Date of arrival (Villa Azul and Villa Jardin). 325 Table V:4 Principle employment during lifetime. 327 Table V:5 Principle lifetime employment and social security contributions. 331 Table V:6 Type of social security benefits held. 337 Table V:7 Average benefit values (1993 pesos). 338 Table V:8 Present employment. 343 Table V:9 Size of household. 348 Table V:10 Degree of economic dependence on household members other than partner. 349 Table V:ll Nature of economic ties within the 6 household. 349 Table V:12 Degree of economic dependence on other family members. 354 Table V:13 Nature of economic ties with other family members. 354 Table V:14 Degree of economic dependence on friends and neighbours. 358 Table V:15 Nature of economic ties with friends and neighbours. 358 Table V:16 Commonly occurring income combinations. 367 Table V:17 Number of income sources. 368 Table V:18 Gender comparisons for ex-informal sector workers. 371 Table V:19 Comparisons of income sources between villas. 373 Table V:20 "Young" versus "old" old. 374 Table V:21 Comparisons between villas and Argentina as a whole. 375 Table V:22 Contributions and receipt of insurance benefit. 377 Table V:23 Criteria determining eligibility for assistance benefits. 377 Table V:24 Respondents pursuing pension claims 379 7 LIST OF FIGURES. Figure 11:1 Percentage of total population aged over 65 years old, 1870-2020. 42 Figure 11:2 Crude birth rate per 1000 in Argentina and Italy, 1870-1990. 42 Figure 11:3 Net immigration to Argentina, 1860-1970. 44 Figure 11:4 Age structures of native, overseas and continental migrants, 1960. 50 Figure 11:5 Population aged over 65 years old in Argentina and Buenos Aires, 1869-1991. 53 Figure 11:6 Average annual gross domestic growth rates, 1900-1990. 58 Figure 11:7 Households below the poverty line in Greater Buenos Aires, 1970-1992. 63 Figure 111:1 Estimates of social insurance affiliation, 1947-55. 101 Figure 111:2 Periodisation of development and welfare policy. 117 Figure 111:3 Social assistance expenditure by provincial and municipal governments as a percentage of gross national product. 133 Figure 111:4 Social security for the elderly in the municipality of Lanus. 136 Figure 111:5 Monthly real interest rates on fixed- term deposits, 1984-1991 (per cent). 190 Figure 111:6 Combined income sources for the elderly. 196 LIST OF MAPS. Map 11:1 Greater Buenos Aires. 52 Map IV:1 Lanus municipality. 2 07 Map IV:2 Villa Jardin. 208 Map IV: 3 Villa Azul. 243 Map IV:4 Villa Zavaleta. 277 8 Note on interviews and translations.