The Informal Economy

Informal employment represents more than half of nonagricultural employment in most developing regions, contributes to the overall economy, and provides pathways to reduction of poverty and inequality. Support to the informal economy should include the expansion of occupational health and safety to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNew solutions Vol. 26; no. 2; p. 155
Main Author Chen, Martha Alter
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Thousand Oaks SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC 01.08.2016
Subjects
Economics
Employment
Health care policy
Informal economy
Occupational health
Occupational safety
Poverty
Productivity
Schools
Work
Workforce
Workplaces
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Summary:Informal employment represents more than half of nonagricultural employment in most developing regions, contributes to the overall economy, and provides pathways to reduction of poverty and inequality. Support to the informal economy should include the expansion of occupational health and safety to include informal workers, based on an analysis of their work places and work risks. The paper presents main schools of thought and argues for a holistic understanding of the different segments of the informal work force and for policies and interventions tailored to the needs and constraints of these different segments. The paper recommends a policy approach which seeks to extend social protection, including occupational health and safety services, to informal workers, and to increase the productivity of informal enterprises and informal workers through an enabling environment and support services. The paper calls for a new paradigm of a hybrid economy which would value and integrate the informal economy alongside the formal economies.
ISSN:1048-2911
1541-3772
DOI:10.1177/1048291116652613