Informal Normal: Research Directions on the Informal Economy
The informal economy is where most of the income-poor and vulnerable can be found. If you are concerned about development, then you realise you need to consider informal economy realities in the era of globalisation. Contemporary research will border on informal employment, informal work, informal finance, informal networks, as well as the impact of ICTs on the mode and nature of informal economy activities in developing country environments. Such studies use a combination of literature surveys, quantitative and qualitative research methods to present an analysis of the informal economy in global change and crisis. In my forthcoming piece, some of these issues are addressed. The introduction provides a conceptual background on informality and how the body of literature on informal economy has emerged since Hart’s coining of the term. Set within our contemporary times, it also provides an overview of the effects of a shrinking global population, job losses on the informal economy a