ABSTRACT
The analysis of contemporary Third World cities is important for cities reflect a conjuncture of processes occurring at the global and the concrete levels. At the global level, urbanization is important for the expansion of capitalism and thus for the reproduction of the capitalist system. At the concrete level, urbanization relates to reproduction of the human species and focuses on issues such as employment and housing. While there is almost universal consensus about the empirical characteristics of Third World cities, numerous, competing theoretical approaches attempt to explain the causal mechanisms and underlying dynamics. McGee (1979) provides a useful review of the var ious stages in the interpretation of Third World urbanization ranging from the initial application of the Western model, to the later dualistic model, to the more recent interpretations of urbanization under conditions of peripheral capitalism. Only explanations drawn from the perspective of political economy are discussed here, however.
