ABSTRACT
Introduction Inequality can be considered and measured in all nine aspects of urban poverty noted at the end of Chapter 2 (see Box 2.2 on pages 89-90). In terms of this disaggregation, six aspects relate to the role of the state. Four are about what governments should provide or ensure provision of – public infrastructure, basic services, safety nets and the rule of law. One is about governance – the extent to which political systems and bureaucratic structures help reduce or increase urban poverty. Finally, there is the key role and infl uence of the state in housing conditions – not so much what government builds but what it provides and supports through infrastructure and service provision, land-use planning and management, and building and land-use regulations. Inequality can also be considered in terms of health outcomes – see the discussion in Chapter 3. Of course, there is the complication of the multiple connections between these different aspects of poverty. Improvements in one can bring improvements in many others. But worsening conditions in one can also prompt worsening conditions in others.
