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Abstract: The informal economy—defined as workers who have no security of employment, receive few or no benefits, and are often unprotected by labor laws—in China today accounts for 168 million of the 283 million urban employed, but the official statistical apparatus in China still does not gather...
Abstract: Most emerging economies are characterized by the presence of informal salary employment, often argued to be caused by stringent labor market regulation and to result in wage penalties compared to the formal sector. The actual picture is certainly more complex. In this paper, we use rich...
Using evidence from Cusco, Peru, the paper examines the effects of the planned displacement of informal traders from city-centre streets. Although more than 3500 traders were relocated to new off-centre markets, the research identifies the emergence of `unplanned' alternative city-centre locations...
This essay foregrounds the phenomenon of informalised self-employment and explores its implications for potentially new forms of labour activism. The relation which defines the new location of labour is one in which the labourer is no longer a source of surplus, rather he/she is an unwanted...
From the abstract: Using matched employer–employee data from eleven African countries, we investigate if there is job sorting in African labour markets. We find that much of the wage gap associated with education is driven by selection across occupations and firms. This is consistent with educated...
This paper presents a statistical profile of informal employment in South Africa from 2005 to 2007, and attempts to identify the economic value generated by the informal economy in South Africa. Through descriptive analysis, the paper examines the extent and composition of informal employment and...
Videos / Slideshows / Audio
Millions of women work long hours, in dangerous conditions, for little pay. They are fighting for change, with the help of ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. Watch this video to learn how.
Workers Education/Organizing Materials
This manual helps street vendors learn more about the regulations that govern public space and how to defend the right to work in public space. It describes successful actions taken by street vendor organizations. And it offers information to help you organize and negotiate with local government.
WIEGO Working Papers
Mike Rogan reviews how informal workers are taxed, why there is growing interest in taxing them, and whether they should be included in the tax net.