Orientador: José Ricardo Barbosa Gonçalves / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Economia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-19T00:47:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Calixtre_AndreBojikian_M.pdf: 2382501 bytes, checksum: 5afcb370f5cdabd9a13717e3d3ce8b97 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Pretende-se versar sobre a questão da informalidade como um modo de vida, um conceito que, em suas múltiplas manifestações, surge no debate internacional, aos fins dos 1960 e torna-se um dos elementos fundamentais para a compreensão do mercado de trabalho no Brasil contemporâneo, nos outros países subdesenvolvidos e mesmo no mundo desenvolvido. No Brasil, a ponte entre a informalidade e o desenvolvimento socioeconômico será entendida como a dinâmica histórica da formação social capitalista brasileira. Esta dinâmica pode ser condensada, no que se refere ao sentido do desenvolvimento, como a interdependência entre moderno e arcaico, manifestada ora na forma de complementaridade, ora de antagonismo aberto e insuperável, mas sempre no sentido de mutualidade mediante constante reinvenção do moderno e do arcaico no processo histórico. Por meio dessa interpretação, encontrar-se-á o espaço em que se reproduzem as relações entre um sujeito histórico específico, criador de um Estado nacional cujo funcionamento é igualmente peculiar. Enfocando a questão do trabalho, essa relação contemporaneamente se reproduz em meio a um Processo de Informalidade, ou seja, de formas dinâmicas e subordinadas de organização da produção exercidas pelo bloqueio da racionalização das relações entre esferas pública e privada. Ao capturar o sentido deste trabalhador informal e sujeito histórico, em busca de padrões de sociabilidade distintos dos espaços formais da economia é possível avançar na compreensão de sua condição informal, bem como dos limites e possibilidades transformadores para o desenvolvimento nacional / Abstract: The Informal Condition: reflections on the Informality Process in contemporary's Brazil. It is intended to board Informality as a way of life, a concept which in many ways appears in the international debate, to the end of 1960s and became one of the key elements for understanding labour markets in contemporary's Brazil and other underdeveloped countries, and recently in the developed world. In Brazil's case, the bridge between informality and socioeconomic development is based on historical dynamics of Brazilian capitalist social formation. This dynamics can be condensed, regarding to the direction of development, as the interdependence between modern and archaic social structures, sometimes manifested as complementarities, sometimes undefeatable antagonism, but always in the sense of mutuality through constant reinvention of modern and archaic in the historical process. Using this interpretation, it will be searched for the "locus" that reproduces the relationship between a specific historical subject, creator of a National State whose operation is also peculiar. The working hypothesis stands that this relationship is reproduced simultaneously in the midst of an Informality Process, ie, in dynamic forms and also subordinate organizations of production focused on blocking rationalization of relations between public and private spheres. By capturing the meaning of this informal worker and historical subject, searching for distinct patterns of sociability of the formal economy, it is possible to advance the understanding of their Informal Condition as well as the limits and possibilities for national development changing / Mestrado / Economia Social e do Trabalho / Mestre em Desenvolvimento Econômico

The main focus of this study was to perform an assessment of viable and sustainable means of creating a vibrant and sustainable economy in the Mdantsane Township. In order to perform the assessment objectives were formulated which aimed at assessing whether the informal small business sector of Mdantsane was generating wealth and livelihoods for the people running them. The study also looked at whether the informal business sector is a preferred option by most South Africans or people in the townships would rather seek employment. A number of data collection methods were used in completing this study such as literature reviews and a semi-structured questionnaire. The study revealed that Local Economic development can be implemented in the townships in order to assist in stimulating a vibrant local township economy. The study also revealed that the central focus of Local Economic Development is to support the development, growth and retention of private or co-operative enterprises. The survey conducted in the study further revealed that most businesses in the township are driven by necessity in order for them to start their businesses mainly due to unemployment. These businesses all agreed on the significant role that Local Economic Development can play in assisting township entrepreneurs and communities to grow and prosper.

M.A. (Development Studies) / Informal cross-border trade is one of the viable informal sector activities which had become a key livelihood strategy for many Zimbabweans mainly during the time period of 2007 to 2009, at the height of the economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe. That was a period of intense shortages of basic commodities which have left the country depending mainly on donations and imports from neighbouring countries. The study sought to understand the experiences and coping strategies of Zimbabwean women informal cross-border traders operating between Gwanda/Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and Johannesburg/Gauteng, South Africa. The study followed the whole chain of trade with focus on experiences and coping strategies of traders at the various stages of informal trade. Semi-structured in-depth interviews and life history analysis were conducted with nine women traders and some informal discussions conducted with bus drivers, artists and other suppliers of goods. Observations were also made which included travelling with informal cross-border traders across the border, being with them when they bought their goods, and staying with them at one of the markets in South Africa where they sold curios they brought from Zimbabwe.The study noted that informal cross-border traders were mostly motivated by the desire to support their children and see them through school, including tertiary education. Their motivation was strong enough to keep them determined to stay in business despite the many challenges that they faced. These challenges included xenophobic attacks, police harassment, transport challenges, bad accommodation while away from home, visa challenges and many others. The coping strategies included finding ways of sharing costs, ‘cheating’ the system where some rules and regulations hindered their progress, and creating a strong social support base and connections. It was also noted that changing economic and political environment had direct impacts on the trade and hence flexibility of goods traded and medium of exchange are a crucial character of the trade in unstable environments.

Bibliography: p. 273-293.

This thesis attempts to measure the growth of the Bolivian informal sector. The study estimates the growth of the informal sector by defining it as the difference between the formal sector's reported real gross national product (GNP) and forecasted values of real GNP. The first chapter describes the Bolivian economy, defines its informal sector, and presents reasons for this sector's growth. Related research in informal activity, theoretical discussions, and perspectives are presented in the second chapter. Chapter III describes methodological research used in the analysis of the data. Chapter IV describes the results of the investigation. Conclusions and recommendations for the informal sector are provided in chapter V. The results show that it is possible to measure informal activity in a macro setting

While the phenomenon of informality in labor markets is pervasive in many parts of the world, its interaction with the aggregate behavior of economies is not well understood. In this dissertation, I explore the connection between informality and the macroeconomy in two main ways. The first way is to augment a search-and-matching model of labor markets in the tradition of Mortensen and Pissarides (1994) with aggregate shocks and an informal sector. The second is to consider an Aiyagari (1994) setting in which the existence of an informal sector feeds back into the labor income risk and savings decisions of heterogeneous agents. The parameters of both models are chosen so as to match features of micro-data I obtain from Brazil. This dissertation is thus divided into three chapters: the first one presents the data and findings from the empirical exploration. The second chapter describes the model of informality over the business cycle and presents its results. The third chapter introduces the heterogeneous agents model with informality and the conclusions derived therefrom. The first chapter divides the empirical analysis into two components. Firstly, I analyze how informality is distributed over education, income and occupational groups, and how formal-informal income differentials behave over these categories. I find that informality decreases in average income, and that the formal-informal income differential is higher among low income workers. The second component pertains to the evolution of informality over time. I show that, in the time period covered by the data, the rate of informality has a strongly cyclical pattern, which is mostly explained by cyclical variation in formal job creation. In the second chapter, in co-authorship with Livio Maya, we show in a parsimonious model of business cycles and informal labor markets that the differential risk of formal and informal contracts plays a potentially important role in generating the patterns of job creation found in the data. The main finding is that generating substantial countercyclicality in the informality rate in our calibration requires the price of risk to be highly countercyclical. In the third chapter, also in co-authorship with Livio Maya, we show the transition path of a policy designed to fight informality in a heterogeneous agents setting. The main finding is that while eliminating the informal sector makes the economy more productive and reduces unemployment in the long run, the short term impact is influenced by general equilibrium effects. In particular, unemployment increases in the short run due to the impact of the policy on interest rates. Moreover, the effects of such policy are sensitive to the assumptions on the destination of the extra tax revenues derived from increased formalization in the transition path.

This research report examines the extent to which the economic and spatial practices of informal people can be classed as radical genda-setting towards an alternative city. In so doing the practices and perceptions of business owners, market traders and street traders in Yeoville are explored. To give greater context of what informal people are possibly pushing up against, state practice and policy are also considered. The discussion further draws on the nexus between politics and governance as well as between the state and capital on the making of contemporary cities. Social movement theory provides the initial basis to carry out the discussion. The interweaving theories of quiet encroachment (Bayat), insurgent citizenship (Holston) and subaltern urbanism (Roy) give the exploration greater depth.

This study investigates the challenges faced by street traders in Mnquma Local Municipality. The purpose is to examine the factors affecting street traders trading at N2 Mthatha Street at Butterworth in Mnquma Local Municipality. For this reason, it was necessary to study the literature on local economic development. The challenges facing street traders were also investigated and analysed in order to formulate recommendations for solving challenges facing street trading in Mnquma Local Municipality. In order to fulfil the objective of the study and to address the research problem faceto-face interviews were conducted with the street traders, municipal officials and Hawkers’ Association. The literature review and the interviews enabled the recommendation of possible answers to the problem. These recommendations would be valuable and, one hopes, will also be of assistance to the Mnquma Local Municipality. Findings of this study indicate that challenges faced by street traders in Butterworth include lack of financial support to start their businesses. Also, the fact that there is no water taps that can be used by the members of the public in the Central Business District (CBD) in Butterworth as well as street lights at night is one of the challenges. Recommendations were made with regard to support and assistance for street traders, environmental management and also a recommendation on business registration and licensing. The study concludes that if the Mnquma local municipality can implement all the proposed recommendations, all the factors raised by street traders as disturbing the functionality of their businesses particularly in Butterworth will be rectified.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This paper proposes broad guidelines that the formal insurance companies in South Africa should follow when entering the low-income market, specifically LSM 1-5. The guidelines follow on a SWOT analysis of the formal insurance providers present in the informal market. After discussing the risks that the poor face and the riskmitigating strategies that they employ, we identify the opportunities and threats of this market segment. The strengths and weaknesses of the formal institutions are deduced from observations of how the informal institutions supply the credit, savings on which the poor rely. Important lessons and principles that are conducive to servicing the needs of the poor are discussed. To break into this market requires new distribution channels, new products and premium collection methods. The guidelines therefore suggest that strategic alliances be established with informal institutions to enable leverage of their networks and knowledge and to streamline the process. New products designed should incorporate the social features of the informal institutions concerned. New technology, such as prepaid vouchers and vending machines, should be investigated as possible ways of collecting premiums through bank accounts. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie dokument stel voor 'n wye gids wat die formele sektor van versekeraars in Suid-Afrika moet volg binne die lae-inkomste mark, spesifiek LSM 1-5. Hierdie riglyne is baseer op 'n SWOT-analise van formele versekerings verskaffers binne die informele mark. Eers moet die risiko en strategie wat die lae-inkomste sektor volg bespreek word, daarna moet die geleenthede en bedreigings van hierdie deel van die mark ge'identifiseer word. Die sterk- en swakhede van die formele en informele instellings moet waargeneem word, spesifiek hoe hulle krediet en versekerings produkte verskaf. 'n Baie belangrike aspek hiervan is hoe dienstig dit is vir die lae inkomste groepe. Om binne hierdie mark te breek, benodig dit nuwe verspreidings kanale, nuwe produkte en premium kollektiewe metodes. Hierdie riglyne benodig 'n strategiese bondgenootskap met informele instansies sodat dit die kennis en netwerke kan versterk in 'n vaartbelynde proses. Nuwe produkte wat ontwerp word moet sosiale aspekte van die informele sektor in ag neem. Nuwe tegnologie soos vooruitbetaalde kwitansie en muntautomaat masjiene moet ondersoek word as moontlike maniere om premies te kollekteer deur bank rekenings.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 1993. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Informal red meat trade was investigated as it occurs in the townships of the Cape Town metropole. To achieve this, an interactive research approach was followed, initially involving months of observation before scientific and empirical analysis was conducted. The informal marketing activities were described and analysed with the purpose of establishing its strengths; weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Criteria of efficiency and effectiveness were constantly employed. ln this regard, the prevailing system was tested against consumer needs and preferences. A large degree of consistency was found between the nature of supply by the informal sector and the nature of demand from its target consumer base. On this basis, it was deduced that the informal red meat marketing system has the potential to further contribute to development and township food security. The informal marketing system, how~ver, operates under specific constraints. These were identified and subsequently recommendations were made to alleviate these constraints, in order to maximise the contribution of informal red meat trade to local development. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die informele bemarking van rooivleis, soos dit in die stadswyke (townships) van die Kaapstadse metropolis voorkom, is ondersoek. Deur middel van 'n interaktiewe navorsingsbenadering is daar aanvanklik maande lank net waargeneem voordat 'n wetenskaplike en empiriese analise gedoen kon word. Die werksaamhede van die informele rooivleismark is omskryf en ontleed met die oog op vasstelling van die sterk punte en swakhede, geleenthede en bedreigings van die bedryf. Kriteria van doeltreffendheid en effektiwiteit is deurgaans aangewend. In hierdie opsig is die huidige stelsel getoets aan verbruikersbehoeftes en voorkeure. Die wyse van aanbieding van die informele sektor het in 'n ruim mate ooreengestem met die aanvraag van die teikenverbruiker. Op grond hiervan word afgelei dat die stelsel van informele bemarking van rooivleis die potensiaal het om nog 'n groter bydrae te lewer tot die ontwikkeling van voedselsekuriteit in die 'townships'. Sekere faktore werk egter beperkend m op die informele bemarkingstelsel. Hierdie faktore is gei'dentifiseer en aanbevelings is gemaak ter opheffing van die beperkinge om sodoende die stelsel se bydrae tot plaaslike ontwikkeling·te maksimeer.