lagos the megacity   Term Paper ID:43527 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: nigeria, lagos, the megacity. george packer... More...

2 Pages / 450 Words 1 sources, 0 Citations, MLA Format $8.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Introduction: The Megacity by George Packer Megacities are a historically recent phenomenon of late capitalismthat have both problematic structural foundations and social norms as theirexplanations In the s Lagos only had about three-hundred thousandresidents However over time economic opportunities in the city drew manypeople from Nigeria\'s interior to the crowded city Population exploded at a rate of percent every year meaning thatpopulation growth far exceeded the rate of installation of new essentialinfrastructure like water sewer and electric systems The lack ofutilities does not Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. The lack ofutilities does not stop people from eliminating, or from requiring energy,so residents of the megacity had to improvise. When the youth return to the country for Christmas, they alsoreturn with stories of the city which in turn lures more people to thecity, creating a veritable depopulation of the countryside. Population exploded at a rate of 6 percent every year, meaning thatpopulation growth far exceeded the rate of installation of new essentialinfrastructure, like water, sewer, and electric systems. When the mobs ofpeople begin hocking everything from fire extinguishers to cell phones, itis difficult to determine where the street ends and the rows of shantiesbegin. Human urine and excrementare rampant around Lagos, as less than one percent of the city's residentshave sewer access. Thecomplete lack of rule of law, rampant corruption, and general lawlessnessof Lagos has resulted in a system of de facto rule enforcement, whether byhired criminal bands or the mafia. In an environment where every supposedgovernment official is corrupt, the official who is not corrupt becomes thegreater threat to the way of life. The Megacity, by George Packer Megacities are a historically recent phenomenon of late capitalismthat have both problematic structural foundations and social norms as theirexplanations. Increasingly,one must wonder who will be left to carry the culture's memory of how toplant, irrigate, and grow healthy food? In the 195 s, Lagos only had about three-hundred thousandresidents. However, over time economic opportunities in the city drew manypeople from Nigeria's interior to the crowded city. Thus, there is much incentive to keepthe system entrenched. At any price, there will be workers lining up for the job! Because the source of all value is human labor, people in theMegacity are exploited for their labor resources. The underground economy takes place on the street itself duringtraffic jams, at intersections, and anywhere in between. Many people drink the water anyway. Improvised heating devices are usedin the cold months, often burning kerosene which is easy to spill causingmassive and swift moving fires in the crowded tenements. Clean water is nearly unavailable, and during periodsof water shut-off, the slumlords pay to drill sixty-foot cores into thewater table to access the water, which even at that depth is stillnoxiously contaminated with oil, heavy metals, and other industrial sludge. There are so many peopledemanding employment that capitalists' equilibrium wage offering is verylow. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.