Las respuestas de los pobres a la crisis: Las redes de organizaciones comunitarias y la búsqueda de soluciones a los problemas de las áreas periféricas de Buenos Aires.

Abstract

The purpose of this presentation is to make a contribution to the study of contem- porary processes of grassroots organizations and project management by networks of community organizations in the Great Buenos Aires (Argentina). This is the result of a case study about the articulation process of a network of grassroots organiza- tions placed in one of the poorest areas of the metropolitan area during the peak of the recent socio-economic crisis of Argentinean history. This network called Organ- ized Community began a process of self-organization with the purpose of develop- ing basic urban infrastructure in five neighborhoods. There are three main hypothe- ses. First, toward the failure of both the market and the state, population of these neighborhoods propels processes of local organization that are autonomous of po- litical and governmental existing structures. Second, the articulation of a network of grassroots organizations allows them to consolidate, face bigger and more ambi- tious projects and to establish relationships and alliances with strategic actors (other networks, professional NGOs, international agencies, etc.). Finally, because of the way of functioning of the network almost as a collective organization (hori-