ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the links between social exclusion and violence in cities. It draws on the results of a research project entitled "Exclusion, Violence, and Community Responses in Central American Cities: Explaining Variation to Guide Policy". The chapter encompasses five urban areas—two in Costa Rica and three in El Salvador—that represent situations typical of Central America. It identifies the types of violence that were not captured by the survey. These are linked to two specific phenomena: small-scale drug dealing in Costa Rica and the actions of the maras in El Salvador. Drug dealing also provides valuable benefits to the young men. It gives them not just quick access to the cash resources they require to satisfy their material needs, but also to meet their most important symbolic needs of power and recognition. The small-scale sale of illegal drugs in Costa Rican communities and the actions of the maras in Salvadoran territories illustrate significant relationships between exclusion and violence.
