ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book shows how households respond to poverty and why some households are more successful than others in reducing their deprivation. It explores these questions based on the data drawn from a longitudinal study of low-income households living in a gecekondu settlement of Ankara in April and October 2002. The book provides a sound basis for understanding poverty and socio-economic behaviour of poor households, based on a critical examination of the relevant literatures. It calls for an employment-centred approach to poverty reduction which promotes job creation and decent working conditions, complemented by a strong state which ensures universal access to key welfare services and benefits. It focuses on certain aspects of social capital like volume and contact status in order to shed some light upon the factors likely to affect the benefit delivery capacity of this resource and household success.
