Urban Livelihoods in Afghanistan - the Afghanistan Research and ...

Urban Livelihoods in Afghanistanthe shape of the urban economy in specificcities, all of which are characterised by smalland stagnant labour markets or urban growthpoles that reinforce inequality more thanthey address problems of poverty. Thus, theability of Afghan cities to drive growth ispatchy, to say the least, and even morequestionable when viewed through the prismof public service delivery and employmentgeneration.The findings of the research also illustratethat acquiring jobs and income-earningopportunities are a fundamental preoccupationfor Afghanistan’s urban poor. Thisis hardly surprising given their almost totaldependence on cash for survival. It must benoted, however, that pursuing income-earningactivities outside of the home goes hand inhand with care giving obligations within thehousehold. Productive work, after all, requiresgood physical health and the durability ofurban households depends on the wellbeingand education of younger and futuregenerations. Without a decent livingenvironment, it will be nearly impossible tostay healthy and productive, much less planfor the future. It is, therefore, important toexamine how the responsibilities for variousactivities within and outside the householdare distributed; and how such distributioninfluences livelihood opportunities andoutcomes and the general wellbeing ofindividual members and households as awhole.A livelihoods perspective offers an integratedframework for understanding the relationshipbetween access, resources and power andits implications for asset building. 17 Anyanalysis of livelihoods must incorporate anassessment of intra-household dynamicsbecause nowhere is the complex relationshipbetween access, resources and power moreacutely observed than in the household. Theresearch on Afghan cities shows how familydynamics, in and of itself, can be considereda livelihoods asset. Indeed, family supportto income-earning activities can be crucialin explaining the survival or growth of oneurban household over another in a similarexternal environment. 18 The research showshow the composition and structure of urbanfamilies (who is the head of the household,for example) influence a household’s abilityto mobilise labour and diversify strategies tomaximize income — at times to the detrimentof other members. This report, as well asthe individual city studies on which it isbased, is informed throughout by a genderperspective and sensitivity to householdstructure, headship and dynamics betweengenerations.In poor countries, such as Afghanistan,providing any form of social protection isextremely difficult. Moreover, given thecountry’s history of political and economicturmoil, natural disasters and the ravages ofwar, the national response has been orientedtoward household survival and promotingindividual enterprise, rather than effortstoward redistribution, something that is beingreinforced by current state policy and advicefrom international development agencies. 19This government approach may very well bea recognition of the Afghan people’s“widespread personal and private initiative”;that they are a “resilient, creative,opportunity-seeking and entrepreneurialpeople.” 20 One can argue that:17 Bebbington, A. (1999), Capitals and Capabilities: A Framework for Analysing Peasant Viability, Rural Livelihoods and Poverty,World Development, 27(12), pp. 2021-2044.18 Moser, C.O.N. (1996), Confronting Crisis, Environmentally Sustainable Development Studies and Monograph Series, No. 7,World Bank; and Moser, C.O.N. (1998), The Asset Vulnerability Framework, World Development.19 Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (2003), Nationwide Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (NRVA), Kabul:MRRD; and World Bank (2004), Afghanistan: State Building, Sustaining Growth and Reducing Poverty, A Country EconomicReport, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Unit, South Asia Region, Report No. 29551-AF.20 World Bank (2005), Afghanistan: Poverty, Vulnerability and Social Protection: An Initial Assessment, Human DevelopmentUnit, South Asia Region, Report No. 29694-AF, p. i.Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit 15