Relationships Stretched Thin: Social Support Mobilization in Poverty

Published date01 May 2020
Date01 May 2020
AuthorPaula Escribano Castaño,Miranda J. Lubbers,Jorge Grau Rebollo,José Luis Molina,Antònia Casellas,Hugo Valenzuela García
DOI10.1177/0002716220911913
ANNALS, AAPSS, 689, May 2020 65
DOI: 10.1177/0002716220911913
Relationships
Stretched Thin:
Social Support
Mobilization in
Poverty
By
MIRANDA J. LUBBERS,
HUGO VALENZUELA
GARCÍA,
PAULA ESCRIBANO
CASTAÑO,
JOSÉ LUIS MOLINA,
ANTÒNIA CASELLAS,
and
JORGE GRAU REBOLLO
911913ANN THE ANNALS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMYRELATIONSHIPS STRETCHED THIN
research-article2020
Research on how the poor “make ends meet” typically
shows that they are able to do so by relying on dense
support networks of family and close friends. Recent
research suggests, however, that these networks play a
limited role. This article examines the role of informal
networks in how sixty-one households in Barcelona,
Spain, cope with poverty. We use a mixed-methods
design that combines structured network delineation
with semistructured interviews about the processes of
support mobilization. Findings show a great variation in
network size and resource capacity among households
and in the kinds of ties that offer support. Social sup-
port was regarded as essential among members of poor
households, but mobilized networks were often insuf-
ficient for covering even the most basic needs, and
prolonged network mobilization could cause strain and
long-term conflict. This analysis suggests that support
networks may help people to cope with income volatil-
ity while simultaneously increasing the potential for
social exclusion and isolation.
Keywords: personal networks; social support; poverty;
reciprocity; relational work; disposable ties
Past research in poor urban communities has
shown that individuals and families strug-
gling to get by rely on the informal support of
relatives and close friends (Adler de Lomnitz
1977; Domínguez and Watkins 2003; Edin and
Lein 1997; Stack 1974). Detailed ethnographic
accounts revealed that money, goods, and
Miranda J. Lubbers is an associate professor in the
Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Autonomous
University of Barcelona). Her research interests include
social networks, social exclusion, poverty and livelihood
strategies, and social cohesion.
Hugo Valenzuela García is an associate professor in the
Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. His main field of
interest is economic anthropology, and he has recently
worked on poverty and livelihood strategies, as well as
social networks and exclusion.
Correspondence: mirandajessica.lubbers@uab.es
66 THE ANNALS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY
services were frequently exchanged through geographically bounded, dense, and
durable kin-based networks, which allowed families to survive economic depriva-
tion (Adler de Lomnitz 1977; Stack 1974). While this literature emphasized the
importance of social support for low-income families, González de la Rocha (2007)
warned that it had inadvertently created a “myth of survival,” depicting the per-
sonal networks of the poor as “a cushion against the impact of economic change,
and an asset that the poor can always turn to in case of need” (p. 47). Further, in
the context of an economic recession, changing family structures, and an erosion of
welfare states, she questioned whether the poor still benefited from support net-
works (cf. Roschelle 1997; see also the introduction to this volume by Lubbers,
Valenzuela, and Small) and suggested a change in focus from the “resources of
poverty” to the “poverty of resources” (González de la Rocha 2001). In line with
her suggestion, various studies have shown the relative isolation and network pov-
erty of low-income individuals (e.g., Menjívar 2000; Offer 2012).
A question that remains open, however, is why some studies show that social
networks help individuals to cope with poverty while others observe a radically
different reality (see introduction to the volume). To better understand how
informal networks function under economic stress, we argue that scholars need
to go beyond static descriptions of the association between poverty and received
or available support to focus on the network mechanisms1 underlying this asso-
ciation. Understanding how networks are shaped and how they are mobilized in
times of need can help us to explain the varying levels of support obtained by
people experiencing poverty.
This article focuses on the role that informal networks play in coping with
poverty in a contemporary urban context. It examines the extent to which the
Paula Escribano Castaño is a PhD student in the Department of Social and Cultural
Anthropology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Her research interests include liveli-
hood strategies in rural areas, neo-peasantry and self-sufficiency, and public policies and
environmental values in Western societies.
José Luis Molina is a professor in the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Personal networks, migration, and livelihood strategies
are among his research interests.
Antònia Casellas is an associate professor in the Geography Department at the Universitat
Autònoma de Barcelona. Her research interests include urban governance, impacts and vulner-
ability of global change, and community economies.
Jorge Grau Rebollo is an associate professor in the Department of Social and Cultural
Anthropology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. His research interests include family
and kinship, childrearing, and social vulnerability.
NOTE: We are especially grateful to the study’s respondents for their participation and
openness. Furthermore, we thank Isabel Ferràndiz, Eduard Sala, Mercedes Vázquez, and
Marta Lobato who assisted with the data collection; and Mario Small for his valuable feedback
on an earlier draft. The article further benefited from anonymous peer review. The research
leading to these results has received funding from RecerCaixa (Award no. 2015ACUP 00145).
The contents of this article are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect
the views of the RecerCaixa program.

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