Managing Informality: Local Government Practices and Approaches Towards the Informal Economy in Africa

Abstract:

We live in an era of transition. Increasingly the old and negative perception and hostility vis-à-vis the informal economy that characterised the preceding decades is withering away and new approaches at better managing the informal economy are being invented. This report presents six case studies from across different African countries – including Kenya, Mali, Rwanda, South Africa and Tanzania – featuring local governments’ utilisation of varied approaches to better manage the informal economy or sector thereof in their localities. The cases cover a wide range of topics and innovative approaches.