ABSTRACT
To date, policy focused research on the livelihood and survival strategies of poor people has largely focused on rural areas (Beck, 1994). There has been little systematic study of the forms of vulnerable livelihoods in urban areas of Bangladesh. Several conceptual frameworks have been proposed for the identification of vulnerable groups (A. de Haan, 1998) within the informal sector labour market (Harris, 1986; Pryer, 1990). However, few have been tested empirically in terms of their ability to identify vulnerable households within urban settlements and rarely have attempts been made to identify groups within the settlements or the types of livelihoods pursued by the most vulnerable households. Indeed, most such studies undertaken in Bangladesh have presented only aggregated data on employment and livelihoods at the level of the settlement or city (Islam, 1997).
