Information based economy and social polarization: A study on urban marginal in Dhaka city

Abstract

Neoliberal globalization has bequeathed the world cities with a concentration of information and communication technologies which actually employed a small segment of workforce who are literate and skilled enough. On the other hand it plays significant role in the increase of marginal group of people. This surplus urban population engaged in informal economy is a specific characteristic of dependent urbanization occurring in developing countries. Dependent urbanization incorporates over-urbanization and parasitic cities with low standard of living and high rate of unemployment. But the governments of third world countries like Bangladesh run by the interests of the IMF and World Bank cannot create formal employment for this large segment of urban populations. This research interest falls on information based economy which creates social polarization of the urban marginal groups of the city. The study has been conducted in the five poor neighborhoods of Dhaka city. To conducting this research literature has been reviewed from global, Asian and regional perspectives. Solid theoretical framework has been constructed after reviewing the work of prominent urban sociologists like Castells, Sassen, Friedman, Wolf, Fainstein, De Soto and Bayat. This study found that without finding job in the formal sector they engaged themselves in the informal economy with a lower level of income as a result they are leading their life in a marginal way. Even sometimes they cannot meet the basic needs. Most of them (57.5%) are living in the slum and poor neighborhood areas and they do not have full access to the urban services as well. It further reveals that 57.5% of the informal poor work long working hours and another 30.83% respondents receive lower income from their job. However, the study argues that due to the intervention of information based economy a lot of changes taken place in the economic sphere of the country and in job market. Now part time jobs and jobs for women are available. It further argues that with the lower level of income the new marginal group of people became vulnerable and led a life with the cycle of social and economic polarization generation after generation.