ABSTRACT
As has been observed in earlier chapters, many theoretical and empirical studies of world cities have shown the existence of new mechanisms involved in the social production of poverty. The main argument is that the new division of labour, linked to the globalisation of the economy, generates simultaneously an increase in highly skilled and well-paid jobs and in unskilled, unstable jobs that are insufficiently remunerated to provide a satisfactory standard of living. This dualisation or social polarisation thesis, first expounded by Friedmann and Wolff (1982) and developed by Sassen (1991), has been questioned as oversimplifying the observed trends (e.g. Marcuse 1989, Hamnett 1994a and in this book) or underestimating national differences resulting from the actions of nation-states (Silver 1993). Nevertheless, it remains an empirical fact that in many western cities recent economic restructuring has enhanced social inequalities, even if they are not related to the globalisation processes.
