Slums like those depicted in the popular film "Slumdog Millionaire" are complex communities with residents of different income levels, sometimes complex relations between ethnic groups, and systems of political patronage that interest Saumitra Jha, an assistant professor of political economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
The Oscar-winning film captured the vibrancy of India's slums, which are often misperceived as being simply rundown housing areas, said Jha, who studied formal and informal leadership in several slums as part of a project funded by The World Bank's Research Department. His work with the World Bank's Vijayendra Rao and Michael Woolcock surveyed 802 households from 30 slums in Delhi.
"Indian slums are incredibly productive," Jha said, adding that Mumbai, where much of "Slumdog" takes place, includes the Dharavi slum, one of the largest leather producers in the world. "People are becoming much more aware that slums are where a lot of the economic activity is taking place."
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