The Long Shadow of Informality

The Long Shadow of Informality

Author: Franziska Ohnsorge

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2022-02-09

Total Pages: 397

ISBN-13: 1464817545

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A large percentage of workers and firms operate in the informal economy, outside the line of sight of governments in emerging market and developing economies. This may hold back the recovery in these economies from the deep recessions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic--unless governments adopt a broad set of policies to address the challenges of widespread informality. This study is the first comprehensive analysis of the extent of informality and its implications for a durable economic recovery and for long-term development. It finds that pervasive informality is associated with significantly weaker economic outcomes--including lower government resources to combat recessions, lower per capita incomes, greater poverty, less financial development, and weaker investment and productivity.


Informal Sector Innovations

Informal Sector Innovations

Author: Mammo Muchie

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-10-02

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 131737200X

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It is well documented that the space of informal economic activity is rising across the globe. This rise has been particularly significant in the least developed and developing countries, especially after the onset of neo-liberal policies and withdrawal of welfare state. There has also been a shift in academic thinking on informal sector, with attempts being made to understand the contribution of informal sector in generating employment and economic growth rather than focusing solely on exploitative labour conditions in these economic activities. Indeed, with the retreat of welfare state and the introduction of contract labour in the formal sector, many issues related to occupational hazards and improper labour conditions do not remain unique to the informal sectors of the economy, particularly in less developed countries. This volume addresses a specific concern: the issue of knowledge generation and innovative activities, which lies at the core of sustained competitive advantage of these activities. The chapters in this book were originally published in the African Journal of Science Technology Innovation and Development.


The Informal Economy in Developing Nations

The Informal Economy in Developing Nations

Author: Erika Kraemer-Mbula

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2016-10-20

Total Pages: 443

ISBN-13: 1316798941

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The informal economy represents a significant share of output and employment in many developing countries. Yet little is known about this hidden engine of innovation. This pioneering study addresses some crucial questions, including: what is the role of the informal sector in economic development? How does innovation occur in the informal economy? How does it spread, who are the key actors and what impacts does it have? How do inventors and entrepreneurs in the informal economy reap benefits from their innovations? What stops informal sector innovation from scaling up? How can informal sector innovation in developing countries be measured? And what policies might support informal sector innovation and improve its impacts? This book will stimulate further work on this crucial but under-researched subject. As well as rich empirical evidence from several groundbreaking studies, it includes conceptual and methodological tools and policy recommendations to help researchers and policy-makers understand innovation in the informal economy.


The Informal Economy, Innovation and Intellectual Property - Concepts, Metrics and Policy Considerations

The Informal Economy, Innovation and Intellectual Property - Concepts, Metrics and Policy Considerations

Author: Jeremy de Beer

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 76

ISBN-13:

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In this working paper, the authors connect concepts, definitions and data regarding the informal economy, innovation, and intellectual property in order to establish a framework for further qualitative and quantitative research and the improvement of public policies in respect of these issues.First, the authors review the literature defining the informal economy, and present an original synthesis of statistical data regarding the informal economy's social and economic significance. Second, the authors apply established and emerging concepts of innovation to the context of informal systems. Third, the authors discuss a spectrum of appropriation mechanisms, ranging from formal intellectual property rights to informal mechanisms of knowledge protection, sharing and exchange. Fourth and finally, the authors review existing policy approaches toward innovation in the formal economy, and establish a framework to consider future scenarios for the application of intellectual property concepts in this context.


Grassroots Innovation Movements

Grassroots Innovation Movements

Author: Adrian Smith

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-08-25

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 131745118X

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Innovation is increasingly invoked by policy elites and business leaders as vital for tackling global challenges like sustainable development. Often overlooked, however, is the fact that networks of community groups, activists, and researchers have been innovating grassroots solutions for social justice and environmental sustainability for decades. Unencumbered by disciplinary boundaries, policy silos, or institutional logics, these ‘grassroots innovation movements’ identify issues and questions neglected by formal science, technology and innovation organizations. Grassroots solutions arise in unconventional settings through unusual combinations of people, ideas and tools. This book examines six diverse grassroots innovation movements in India, South America and Europe, situating them in their particular dynamic historical contexts. Analysis explains why each movement frames innovation and development differently, resulting in a variety of strategies. The book explores the spaces where each of these movements have grown, or attempted to do so. It critically examines the pathways they have developed for grassroots innovation and the challenges and limitations confronting their approaches. With mounting pressure for social justice in an increasingly unequal world, policy makers are exploring how to foster more inclusive innovation. In this context grassroots experiences take on added significance. This book provides timely and relevant ideas, analysis and recommendations for activists, policy-makers, students and scholars interested in encounters between innovation, development and social movements.


Innovation in the Informal Economy

Innovation in the Informal Economy

Author: Jeremy de Beer

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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The central economic and social role of the informal sector is increasingly appreciated. Yet while evidence shows that informal entrepreneurs can drive innovation, research on innovation in developing countries has been devoted mostly to formal sectors, organizations and institutions. What is lacking are studies assessing the role of innovation emanating within and from the informal sector. Who is the archetypical innovator in the informal economy? What types of innovations are generated? What is different from what one would encounter in the formal economy? Finding answers to these questions is a new field of research. On the one hand, the literature devoted to the study of the informal sector does not directly address the topic of innovation. In fact, the ability of the informal economy to do “new things in a different way,” its inventive ingenuity, rarely features as a topic at all. On the other hand, the equally vast literature on national innovation systems in countries at different stages of development largely overlooks the informal sector.The objective of this chapter is to push the boundaries of research in this field, first by conceptually integrating so far separate analyses of innovation and the informal economy and second by using research methods not often used by those studying the economic and employment aspects of innovation or the informal economy. The findings are based on an analysis of the existing literature, but more importantly on analytical fieldwork conducted for this book in three countries, and in the context of research undertaken by the Open African Innovation Research (Open AIR) network.


Informal Economy

Informal Economy

Author: Fouad Sabry

Publisher: One Billion Knowledgeable

Published: 2024-01-14

Total Pages: 307

ISBN-13:

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What is Informal Economy An informal economy is the part of any economy that is neither taxed nor monitored by any form of government. Although the informal sector makes up a significant portion of the economies in developing countries, it is sometimes stigmatized as troublesome and unmanageable. However, the informal sector provides critical economic opportunities for the poor and has been expanding rapidly since the 1960s. Integrating the informal economy into the formal sector is an important policy challenge. How you will benefit (I) Insights, and validations about the following topics: Chapter 1: Informal economy Chapter 2: Economy of Cambodia Chapter 3: Economy of the Central African Republic Chapter 4: Economy of Kenya Chapter 5: Economy of Namibia Chapter 6: Child labour Chapter 7: Employment Chapter 8: Workforce Chapter 9: WIEGO Chapter 10: Decent work Chapter 11: Waste picker Chapter 12: Economic development in India Chapter 13: Labour in India Chapter 14: Unreported employment Chapter 15: Black market Chapter 16: Tripartism Chapter 17: Social protection Chapter 18: Child labour in India Chapter 19: Renana Jhabvala Chapter 20: Martha Chen Chapter 21: Unemployment in India (II) Answering the public top questions about informal economy. (III) Real world examples for the usage of informal economy in many fields. Who this book is for Professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and those who want to go beyond basic knowledge or information for any kind of informal economy.


The Global Informal Workforce

The Global Informal Workforce

Author: International Monetary Fund

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2021-07-23

Total Pages: 414

ISBN-13: 1513575910

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The Global Informal Workforce is a fresh look at the informal economy around the world and its impact on the macroeconomy. The book covers interactions between the informal economy, labor and product markets, gender equality, fiscal institutions and outcomes, social protection, and financial inclusion. Informality is a widespread and persistent phenomenon that affects how fast economies can grow, develop, and provide decent economic opportunities for their populations. The COVID-19 pandemic has helped to uncover the vulnerabilities of the informal workforce.