Informal Economy Budget Analysis in Pakistan and Ravi Town, Lahore
The bulk of Pakistan’s workforce is unorganized, and the data available do not depict the true picture, particularly of the number of women engaged in and contributing to the informal economy.
While recent government documents have recognized women in the informal sector, they have failed to respond to the dilemmas of these workers and have not promoted measures to have the sector’s contribution documented in a disaggregated manner (by sex, nature of work, incomes, etc.).
This paper looks at government budget-making and allocations to find out how local, provincial and national budgets directly or indirectly support or hinder select informal sectors – homework, street vending and waste picking in Shahdara neighbourhood in Lahore – and especially women working in them. Advocacy opportunities are identified and possible strategies to influence budget allocations proposed.
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