Collectors of recyclable materials are omnipresent in developing countries such as Brazil, and their work has long been a critical part of waste management, disposal, and recycling.
From butchers to hawkers, and shelters to miners, this book reveals the informal economy and texture of the city.
Coastal communities in West and Central Africa were severely affected by COVID which brought many aspects of food and seafood supply chains to a halt.
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Street traders in South Africa play a significant role in the country’s economic and social development and deserve to be protected in terms of the Constitution.
A deserted Lagos road during the pandemic lockdown in April 2020.
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Lockdown and stay-at-home orders may not benefit societies dominated by informal economies.
Informal head porter workers Percent Boatemaq (left) and Lusaka Fuseina (right) carrying goods on their heads at Agbogbloshie market in Accra, Ghana.
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Influential international actors like the World Bank and the IMF should focus on expanding social protection rather than focusing on eliminating the informal economy.
Bag sellers at Kumasi market in Ghana. Over 80% of workers on the continent work in the informal sector.
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While inequality is a global problem, its growth is most pronounced and the political, social and economic challenges it poses are most complex and pronounced in the global South.
Promoting entrepreneurship will help reduce unemployment in South Africa. But the government has to step up its game.
International tourism dropped considerably to Thailand Buddhist temples as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Thailand’s Buddhist temples, important centers of culture and commerce, rely on donations from international visitors. Because of a steep drop in tourism, these temples have been hit hard.
Unemployed Liberian young men seeking daily jobs at the industrial district of Bushrod Island, Monrovia, Liberia.
EFE-EPA/Ahmed Jallanzo
Since 1999, extreme poverty has declined while rates of young people in education and employment have risen. Without investment though, the impact of the pandemic could see this progress imperilled,
A tightly packed and busy urban slum in Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria.
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It is vital that the latest move by government towards restructuring succeeds in making the industry safe, reliable and viable, contributing to the country’s economy.
Residents of Kibera slum carry jerrycans to fill them with water from a bowser.
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Despite high prices, poor quality and inconvenience, Kenya’s urban poor continued to buy water from private vendors because it’s still their best option.
Street vending at Eastern Market, Washington, D.C.
John Rennie Short
After trying to remove street vendors from its cities for years, China is supporting them to help jump-start its economy. An urban scholar explains why other cities should do the same.
Stokvel members prefer to manage their affairs through non-state means.
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Millions of South Africans exchange billions of rands annually but disputes involving these transactions hardly ever appear before the country’s courts.
Lockdowns to curb the coronavirus have shut down Africa’s dominant informal economy, destroying livelihoods.
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The current lockdown in Zimbabwe is going to provide a stern test for its informal economy, which is the country’s dominant economy and employs 90% of people.
Pro Vice-Chancellor: Climate, Sustainability and Inequality and Director Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, University of the Witwatersrand