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Crisis, Informalization and the Urban Informal Sector in Sub‐Saharan Africa
Author(s) -
Meagher Kate
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
development and change
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1467-7660
pISSN - 0012-155X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-7660.1995.tb00552.x
Subject(s) - informal sector , restructuring , latin americans , economic restructuring , developing country , perspective (graphical) , economic growth , economics , economic system , development economics , political science , finance , artificial intelligence , computer science , law
Neo‐liberal theories of informality have emphasized the potential of the informal sector for independent employment creation and growth. An alternative perspective is provided by the structuralist ‘informalization’ approach which regards the expansion of informal activity as part of the restructuring strategy of the formal sector in the face of economic recession. The informalization perspective challenges the traditional notions of the informal sector by focusing on such issues as differentiation, social networks, subcontracting and supply linkages with the formal sector, and the role of the state in informal sector expansion. Despite its First World and Latin American focus, the informalization approach offers important insights for the study of urban informal sectors in Africa.