Homeless' resistance to public policy in Medellin, Colombia: a system thinking approach
by Juan Esteban Martínez-Jaramillo; Javier Ruiz-Muñoz; Andrés Valencia-Ruiz
International Journal of Applied Systemic Studies (IJASS), Vol. 7, No. 4, 2017

Abstract: Homelessness is a social condition that jeopardises human dignity. Scientific literature to date has shown an increase in the number of homeless inhabiting streets and temporary shelters around the world. Such studies underlie the urge to address the homelessness phenomenon however, although they highlight the importance of overcoming this social issue, they lack up-to-date data and consensus about measurements to face this matter. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to deepen the discussion of homelessness using a system thinking analysis. For this purpose, the city of Medellin in Colombia was chosen as a case study. We propose a new dynamic hypothesis based on the economic criminal careers developed in the literature. We use a causal-descriptive model that serves to illustrate the reasons for resistance to policies among homeless and the pathways that have led these people to reach such a condition. This analysis shows that there are programs to reduce homelessness in the long-term but are undermined by sort-term fixes. We suggest using this systemic analysis to build a simulation model that could be used as a tool for policy makers to assess new social policies focused on addressing homelessness.

Online publication date: Mon, 26-Feb-2018

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Applied Systemic Studies (IJASS):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

Username:        Password:          Forgotten your password?

Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com