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Research Reports

Including the Excluded: Supporting Informal Workers for More Equal and Productive Cities in the Global South

By , on May 29, 2018

This World Resources Institute (WRI) paper examines the challenges facing the world’s urban informal workers and the barriers that exclusionary cities pose to informal livelihoods. This is the fourth paper in WRI’s flagship World Resources Report, “Towards a More Equal City.”

Through a focus on home-based workers, street vendors and waste pickers, it explores how inclusive cities protect and enhance informal livelihoods, drawing on promising examples from around the world. The paper concludes by outlining how cities can adopt a more inclusive approach by reducing the negatives, increasing the positives, and inviting informal workers to the policy table.

The Executive Summary has been translated into Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese; these can be downloaded here: https://www.wri.org/wri-citiesforall/publication/towards-more-equal-city-including-the-excluded

Read the related blog: Informal Workers Make Cities Work For All: 3 Stories from Thailand, India and ColombiaIncluding the Excluded was launched on May 29, 2018.
At the event, the paper’s authors were joined by Rubbina Karruna (Cities Adviser, DFID), Judy Baker (Lead Economist in the Global Practice for Social, Urban, Rural, and Resilience, World Bank) and Oliver Azuara (Senior Economist, IDB) for a panel discussion on the findings and recommendations outlined in the paper.

Media Coverage

The paper has been subsequently cited in articles and received television coverage.

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Citation Information

Beard, Victoria A., and Chen, Martha A. Including the Excluded: Supporting Informal Workers for More Equal and Productive Cities in the Global South. , , . , 2018. Beard, V. A., and Chen, M. A. (2018). Including the Excluded: Supporting Informal Workers for More Equal and Productive Cities in the Global South. , , . Beard, Victoria A., and Chen, Martha A. "Including the Excluded: Supporting Informal Workers for More Equal and Productive Cities in the Global South." 2018, .Beard Victoria A., and Chen Martha A. "Including the Excluded: Supporting Informal Workers for More Equal and Productive Cities in the Global South." (2018). Beard, V A, and Chen, M A 2018, 'Including the Excluded: Supporting Informal Workers for More Equal and Productive Cities in the Global South', , , . Victoria A Beard, and Martha A Chen, 'Including the Excluded: Supporting Informal Workers for More Equal and Productive Cities in the Global South' (2018). Beard V. A., and Chen M. A. Including the Excluded: Supporting Informal Workers for More Equal and Productive Cities in the Global South. . 2018. Beard, Victoria A., and Chen, Martha A. Including the Excluded: Supporting Informal Workers for More Equal and Productive Cities in the Global South. . 2018. , .

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.