The Politics of Poverty: Non Governmental Organizations (Ngos) As Intermediaries in Affordable Housing Programs in Argentina
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE POLITICS OF POVERTY: NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGOS) AS INTERMEDIARIES IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROGRAMS IN ARGENTINA By MARTIN A. MALDONADO A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2009 1 © 2009 Martin Maldonado 2 To Vero 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank Philip Williams for his superb mentoring that elegantly combines academic excellence, professional insights and personal kindness. This dissertation was possible thanks to him. I also thank the members of the dissertation committee Ana Margheritis, David Hedge, Sharon Austin Wright and Andres Avellaneda for their meaningful comments on the drafts. Nancy Powers was also a great advisor during my career. I thank the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida and the colleagues at the Department of Political Science for the generous fellowships that made all these possible. Special thanks to Osvaldo, Julia, Percy, Aida, Richard, Percy, Philip, Ana, Debby and Sue, friends that made me feel at home when home was 10,000 miles away. I thank my father, Julio and my mother, Ana Maria for the love I received. Finally, a special thank to my wife, Veronica, and my daughters, Candelaria and Josefina for reminding me every day about the things that truly matter in life. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.................................................................................................. 4 LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................ 7 LIST OF FIGURES.......................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................... 10 Introduction and Overview ...................................................................................... 10 The Housing Conditions of the Poor in Argentina............................................. 10 Overview of the Dissertation and Outline of Chapters...................................... 12 Literature Review: The Case for a Meso-Level Approach to Poverty Studies......... 14 Affordable Housing Programs and the Role of Non-Governmental Organizations . 19 A Call from Political Science: Look at the Middle Man ..................................... 20 Theoretical Contributions from Political Science..................................................... 23 Rational Choice Theory and the Non-Profit Sector........................................... 24 Institutional Analysis: What do NGOs do in affordable Housing Programs and how do they do it? .................................................................................. 27 2 ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK AND RESEARCH DESIGN ..................................... 33 Incentives, Games and Winning Strategies. A Framework for the Analysis of the Intermediary Role of NGOs in Affordable Housing Programs.............................. 34 The First Moment: Competition and Cooperation ................................................... 36 The Second Moment: Program Implementation and Mission Fulfillment ................ 42 The Trade Off Between Construction Objectives and Social Goals........................ 47 Research Design .................................................................................................... 48 Selection of Cases ........................................................................................... 49 Fieldwork and Data Collection Techniques ...................................................... 51 3 THE ROLE OF NGOs IN HOUSING THE POOR IN 19TH AND 20TH CENTURY LATIN AMERICA AND ARGENTINA...................................................................... 59 The Roman Catholic Tradition of Piety in Latin America......................................... 59 The Historical Role of the non-profit Sector in Housing the Poor............................ 61 The Emergence of “Urban Problems” in the mid 19th century (1850-1880) ...... 61 Weak Public Policies and the Prevalence of the non-profit Sector (1880- 1943)............................................................................................................. 65 Corporatist Peronism and Massive Public Housing for Workers (1943-1976).. 71 The Two Sides of Foreign Influence. World Bank vs. Habitat International Coalition (1976-1996).................................................................................... 77 5 The Habitat International Coalition in Latin America. The Social Production of Habitat (1987) and the Right to the City (2005)......................................... 84 Summary and Conclusions ..................................................................................... 92 4 THE SERVICIO HABITACIONAL Y DE ACCIÓN SOCIAL (SEHAS) AND ITS METHODOLOGY OF “ACTIVE PROTAGONISM” ................................................. 95 Cooperativa 20 de Junio in Villa Chaco Chico, Córdoba ........................................ 97 SEHAS and the Methodology of “Active Protagonism” (Protagonismo Activo) ..... 103 The Multiplication of Cases in the 1980s and “Cooperativa El Progreso” ............. 105 Networking of NGOs and Grassroots Groups in the 1990s. The Impact of the Union de Organizaciones de Base por Derechos Sociales (UOBDS) .............. 110 Analysis of the Cases and Summary .................................................................... 114 5 PROGRAM MI CASA MI VIDA IN THE PROVINCE OF CORDOBA.................... 118 The Structural Reform of the National Housing System in 1995........................... 119 The Program Mi Casa Mi Vida in the Province of Cordoba................................... 127 Evaluations of the Programa Mi Casa Mi Vida...................................................... 136 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 141 6 THE CÁRITAS NATIONAL HOUSING PROGRAM (PROGRAMA NACIONAL VIVIENDAS CÁRITAS)......................................................................................... 148 Antecedents and Overview of the Programa Nacional Viviendas Cáritas............. 148 Methodology of the Evaluation and Data Collection Techniques .......................... 154 Evaluation of La Quiaca Project ..................................................................... 157 Evaluation of Puerto Iguazú Project ............................................................... 164 Conclusions .......................................................................................................... 170 7 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................... 176 Contexts, Priorities and Strategies of NGOs Across Five Games......................... 178 The Structural Reform of the National Housing System in 1995........................... 191 Further Research and Recommendations ............................................................ 194 Intended Contributions to Political Science and Affordable Housing Studies........ 194 Following up on this investigation................................................................... 196 Articulation in Affordable Housing Programs.................................................. 197 The Link between the Production of Knowledge on Affordable Housing Programs..................................................................................................... 200 LIST OF REFERENCES ............................................................................................. 203 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.......................................................................................... 215 6 LIST OF TABLES Table page 1-1 Population Under Indigence and Poverty Lines in Argentine Regions. 2002- 2008. .................................................................................................................. 31 2-1 The Role of NGOs as Intermediaries in Affordable Housing Programs.................. 57 2-2 Characteristic of the Cases. Sought Variations in the Sample ............................... 57 2-3 Characteristic of the Cases. Unsought Variations in the Sample ........................... 58 2-4 Evaluation of the Caritas Program; Interviews and Technical Schedules collected ............................................................................................................. 58 2-5 Data Collection Techniques ................................................................................... 58 5-1 Greater Córdoba: Social Indicators...................................................................... 145 5-2 Beneficiaries of Program Mi Casa Mi Vida affiliated with associations/cooperatives ................................................................................ 146 5-3 Program Mi Casa Mi Vida. Resident’s Satisfaction with Public Services ............. 147 5-4 Program Mi Casa Mi Vida. Resident’s Current Satisfaction vs. Previous Satisfaction in Public Services.......................................................................... 147 6-1 Programa Nacional Vivienda Caritas. Evaluation Interviews................................. 175 7-1 NGOs’ Priorities and Strategies Across Five Affordable Housing Games............. 203 7-2 Changes Brought in by the Structural Reform of 1995.......................................... 203 7 LIST OF FIGURES Figure page 1-1 Regional Disparities in the Distribution of Poverty.................................................