Forms of livelihood of Can Gio residents, Ho Chi Minh City: the interaction between factors of policy, market and environment

Abstract

When doing research on the livelihood of human groups and communities, many studies have shown that the environment exerts important impacts on the forms of livelihood (Julian Steward 1955). Accordingly, the environment will provide capacities for the survival of man. However, from another perspective, studies have also shown that the choice of the forms of livelihood or economic thinking of ethnic groups or other groups is governed by such other factors as history, culture, psychology of ethnic groups or religion (Jared Diamond 1997, Charles Keyes 1983, McElwee 2007). This leads to the current state where, though in the same environment, ethnic groups possess different livelihood forms. Analysing the livelihoods of Can Gio residents, Ho Chi Minh City in today’s context of modern society, the paper’s author believes that livelihood forms of the residents of this land results from the interaction between economic-political and ecological factors. Specifically, the livelihood activities of the residents here, in the context of contemporary social management, are affected by the government’s economic development policy factors, market demands and ecological factors which are inherently understood as providing specific capabilities for human survival at a specific environment. In this interaction, the ones between factors of policy, environment and market control the shaping of livelihood forms of the residents. Depending on the characteristics of each profession, the impact level of each factor varies.