Skip To Content
Research Reports

Informalization, Economic Growth and the Challenge of Creating Viable Labor Standards in Developing Countries

By , on June 01, 2003

Over recent decades, there has been the substantial rise in the proportion of people engaged in what is termed informal employment, generating a broad trend toward "informalization" of labor market conditions in developing countries, even when economic growth is proceeding. We consider the relationship between the rise of informalization and the corresponding ascendancy of neoliberal policies in developing countries, focusing in particular on how the decline in average per capita GDP growth associated with neoliberalism has fostered informalization. We then explore policy measures for raising the proportion of decent jobs with core social protections in developing countries - which means, as we argue, reversing the process of informalization. We examine policy measures in two areas: raising the rate of economic growth and improving the regulation of labor markets.

View list of all: Research Reports

Go to Publication(this link opens in new window)

Citation Information

Heintz, James, and Pollin, Robert. Informalization, Economic Growth and the Challenge of Creating Viable Labor Standards in Developing Countries. Political Economy Research Institute Working Paper Series, No. 60, , . Political Economy Research Institute, 2003. Heintz, J., and Pollin, R. (2003). Informalization, Economic Growth and the Challenge of Creating Viable Labor Standards in Developing Countries. Political Economy Research Institute Working Paper Series, No. 60, , . Heintz, James, and Pollin, Robert. "Informalization, Economic Growth and the Challenge of Creating Viable Labor Standards in Developing Countries." Political Economy Research Institute Working Paper Series, No. 60, Political Economy Research Institute, 2003, .Heintz James, and Pollin Robert. "Informalization, Economic Growth and the Challenge of Creating Viable Labor Standards in Developing Countries." Political Economy Research Institute Working Paper Series, No. 60 (2003). Heintz, J, and Pollin, R 2003, 'Informalization, Economic Growth and the Challenge of Creating Viable Labor Standards in Developing Countries', Political Economy Research Institute Working Paper Series, No. 60, . James Heintz, and Robert Pollin, 'Informalization, Economic Growth and the Challenge of Creating Viable Labor Standards in Developing Countries' (2003) Political Economy Research Institute Working Paper Series, No. 60 Heintz J., and Pollin R. Informalization, Economic Growth and the Challenge of Creating Viable Labor Standards in Developing Countries. Political Economy Research Institute Working Paper Series, No. 60. 2003. Heintz, James, and Pollin, Robert. Informalization, Economic Growth and the Challenge of Creating Viable Labor Standards in Developing Countries. Political Economy Research Institute Working Paper Series, No. 60. 2003. , .

The WIEGO Research Library

WIEGO is at the forefront of developing statistics and research to help audiences understand the informal economy. Our library includes over two decades-worth of informal economy research, policy analysis, statistics and documentation of organizing efforts.