International
Labour Organization:
Informal Economy Website
---
On informal economy |
International Labour Organization
and
The Inter-American Centre for
Knowledge Development in Vocational Training (ILO/Cinterfor)
Training and the informal sector
The importance of the informal economy is quite obvious since it is the
main employment generator in Latin American countries, where more than 53 per
cent of the economically active population of the region is part of this sector.
Between 1990 and 2004, the contribution to the informal economy in terms of
employment generation increased by 4.6 per cent. According to ILO's data, during
the last decade, between 75 and 80 per cent of every 100 new job posts were
created by this sector.
As indicated by ILO's Director General in the report prepared for the 16th
American Regional Meeting (May 2006): In Latin America, there are 103 million
people working in the informal sector -many times without labour rights or
social security- which, added to the number of unemployed people, means that 126
million people are affected by formal employment deficit.
VTIs
and the informal economy: thematic section that
describes the actions taken by VTI in Latin America
and the Caribbean with respect to training oriented
to workers and enterprises of the informal economy.
Informal
economy - Decent work - Poverty: on the one
hand, it provides documents and analyses about the
informal economy, decent work and poverty. On the
other hand, it includes the links among different
categories as well as the implemented plans and
programmes of action to eradicate poverty, reduce
decent work deficit and particularly those related
to the informal economy.
Informal
economy and gender: it presents a number of
documents and experiences that offer a different
perspective of the informal economy.
Informal economy and vulnerable groups: thematic
section that contains documents on programmes
oriented to the training of vulnerable groups:
women, youth, people with disabilities, ethnic
groups.
Informal economy by activity sector: this
section offers documents about programmes focused on
workers and informal economic units organised by
sector. Therefore, the sub-site is divided into
plans and programmes of:
a) agricultural sector;
b) industrial sector;
c) services sector.
Documents
and publications: section oriented to the
introduction of books, documents, reports and
regular publications of interest according to the
objectives of the site.
Events:
Calendar of events related to the issues of the
site.
Links:
this section includes interesting links to ILO Web
sites and other international and national
organisations that deal with these issues.
|
From
Informal Economy Database - ILO
Decent
Work and Development Policies: Caribbean Tripartite Workshop
2004 - Virgilio Levaggi; Regions
Decent
Work and Poverty Reduction Strategies: A reference manual for ILO
staff and constituents
2005 - Cross Sectoral
Decent
Work and the Informal Economy - General Discussion: Plenary session:
Adoption of the resolution and conclusions
2002
Decent
Work and the Informal Economy - Report VI presented for the General
Discussion at the International Labour Conference 2002
2002 - Employment Sector
Decent
Work and the Informal Economy: Abstracts
2002 - Employment Sector
Decent
Work and the Informal Economy: Report of the Commmittee -
International Labour Conference 2002
2002
Decent
work and the informal economy: Report on 2002 ILO Conference - Tokyo
2002
Decent
Work and the Informal Economy: Resolution and Conclusions from the
International Labour Conference General Discussion 2002.
2002
Decent
work for all: targeting full employment in Thailand
2000 - Regions
Decent
work for poverty reduction: an ILO contribution to the PRSP in Nepal
ILO; Employment Sector
(from Poverty, Local Development and
Decent Work Resources database)
Decent
Work for Women Entrepreneurs: Training of trainers workshop
2004 - Cross Sectoral
Decent
Work in the Informal Sector: CEE/CIS Region.
2002 - B. Musiolek; Employment Sector
Decent
Work in the Informal Sector: Latin America.
2002 - J. Thomas; Employment Sector
Decent
Work Pilot Programme - Panama
2000-2006
Decent
Work Pilot Programme - Philippines
2000-2006
Decent
Work Pilot Programme in Ghana.
2000-2006 |
CATO Journal, vol. 17, No. 1 (Spring-Summer 1997).
E. Ghersi:
The informal economy in Latin
America
We have often read about the underground activities of the informal
economy. Conceptually we can offer a simple definition of this phenomenon:
underground activities are those that have legal ends but
employ illicit means. That is to say, they are activities that do not
intrinsically have a criminal content, but must be carried out illicitly,
even though they are licit and desirable activities for the country.
Thus, from an economic point of view, the most important characteristic
of informal activities is that those directly involved in them as
well as society in general benefit more if the law is violated than if it
is followed. |
Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing:
About the informal economy
Women in Informal Employment. Globalizing
and Organizing
|
S. Benjamin:
Land,
Productive Slums, and Urban Poverty, 1979, MIT
One fundamental issue is how we view the relationship between poor groups and
economic development, and thus their claim to productive assets especially serviced
land. Approaches to rural poverty, even from contrasting ideologies, generally
recognise that access to land and its quality are critical for poor groups for survival
and move to a more stable situation. In urban situations, land and its locational
aspects has been recognised as an important issue. However, policy makers
conventionally view this from the perspective of `social' needs, usually translated
into housing1. The assumption is that economic growth will `trickle down' benefits to
poor groups. In the mean while, poor groups will survive via the Informal Sector, or
on the basis of social spending by the State. In a broad way, this assumption justifies
access by rich groups to land in productive locations often serviced by State
subsidised infrastructure2. The latter are seen to be the creators of economic growth
and wealth, which will ultimately benefit the rest of society.
|
P. Dasgupta:
Poverty
Reduction and Non-market Institutions, 1999, University of Cambridge
Economists in general and development economists in particular have for long been engaged in
a debate over the relative strengths and weaknesses of markets and government. One of the most
exciting developments in economics during the past twenty years or so has, however, been our increased
understanding of non-market institutions (sometimes called "informal" institutions). Progress has been
sufficiently great in this research that non-market institutions can be discussed today with a degree of
rigour and precision which approaches what economists are used to in their discussions on the
performance of markets. The Notes that follow offer a non-technical account of some aspects of what
we now know and understand. I am preparing a more complete account in my forthcoming book,
Economic Progress and the Idea of Social Capital.
|
C. Kutcha-Helbling:
The informal sector in
emerging democracies
The recent trend towards democracy and market-based systems has improved the
lives of millions across the globe. Many countries have increased political participation,
achieved macroeconomic stabilization and restored growth. Despite these achievements,
millions of people in emerging democracies remain excluded from the political and
economic system and still live in poverty. A glaring symptom of this exclusion is the
growing number of entrepreneurs who are engaged in low-income, low-growth business
activities outside the formal economy. These citizens feel that democracy and marketbased
economy have not brought them the expected benefits.1 As a result, an increasing
number of citizens in emerging democracies and economies are disappointed and
disillusioned.
|
Center for Institutional Reform
and the Informal Sector
University of Maryland
|
Working papers in ILO:
IFP/Skills - Informal Economy Series:
Training
in the Informal Sector of Belarus
-
Yuri Vesselov, Geneva, ILO, 2002
This paper presents the major characteristics of the informal sector of Belarus,
especially the involvement of the unemployed and socially unprotected population in informal
entrepreneurial activities. Data are based on the System of Natio nal Accounts. Special
emphasis is given to the small business subsector. The paper also profiles unemployment
(including hidden unemployment) and self-employment and their relationship with the
informal sector.
---
Skills
Training for Decent Work in the Informal Sector of the North-West Region of Russia (St.
Petersburg and the Leningrad region)
- Case study by Liudmila I. Velichko and
Gortenzia M. Romanenkova, Geneva, ILO, 2002
This paper presents seven brief case studies related to the training of the unemployed
and workers in the informal sector.
A definition of the informal sector in the Russian Federation is provided whereby the
informal sector covers all economic activities which are deliberately concealed from the
authorities in order to minimize costs and avoid taxes. The paper estimates that 615,000
people are employed in the informal sector of St. Petersburg accounting for 26.3% of the
employed workforce. Furthermore, over a million people in St. Petersburg and up to 500,000
people in the Leningrad region move between the formal and informal sectors. These include
the unemployed, part-time workers and those on leave without pay, refugees and involuntary
migrants, marginal population groups with incomes below subsistence level, people with
extra jobs, teenagers and students. Out of these, the paper estimates that at least 114,000
persons need training.
---
Training
and Skills Acquisition in the Informal Sector:A Literature Review
- Marjo-Riitta
Liimatainen, ILO, Geneva, 2002
The structure of the paper is as follows: firstly, the concept of informal sector is discussed
with reference to training. Secondly, the profile of informal sector workers and their educational
levels is shortly summarised. Thirdly, the formal, informal and non-formal means of delivering
and providing training are discussed, followed by an introduction of the trend to move towards
more market-driven training. Fourthly, suggestions rising from the literature for macro and
micro-level action are explained. Finally, the conclusions are an attempt to reflect the issues that
should be taken into account in delivering skills and improving the knowledge levels of the
growing number of informal sector workers.
---
Skills
Training in the Informal Sector in China
- By the Research Group of the Department of
Training and Employment Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Geneva, 2002
China is a developing country with abundant labour resources. For a long time, capital and
material input were over-emphasized and the development of human capital was neglected. This has
caused the problem of low-skill labour supply exceeding demand, and structural unemployment, which
has become the biggest obstacle to sustainable social and economic development. With economic
restructuring and the acceleration of globalization, fierce market competition, State-owned Enterprises
(SOEs) have also started downsizing their labour force. This explains why in recent years SOEs have
been unable to absorb new labour market entrants; instead SOEs have been laying off workers. On
the other hand, the informal sector is gaining ground, and to some extent it has become a new force in
creating jobs, releasing employment pressure in China's labour market.
---
Informal
Economy Series:Informal Sector Training in Jamaica: an Assessment
by Andrea M.
Miller-Stennett, 2002
This paper reviews current policies and programmes that concern skills training for
informal sector workers in Jamaica, and draws from them lessons that may be pertinent for
the design and implementation of future policies and programmes. While there is no
consensus regarding the meaning of the term "informal sector", there is agreement that the
sector consists of very small-scale producers and distributors of goods and services, and
independent, self-employed persons in urban and rural areas of developing countries.
Informal sector activities also include activities that are often carried out without formal
approval from the authorities and are therefore "outside" the legal and regulatory frameworks.
---
Training for Work in the Informal Sector: New evidence from Kenya,
Tanzania and Uganda
by Hans Christiaan Haan, 2002
More than a decade has passed since a stocktaking exercise was held at the International
Training Centre of the ILO in Turin in relation to the situation of skills development of those
working in “informal” micro and small enterprises (MSEs). The present paper essentially
intends to provide an overview of some of the major developments that have taken place since
then, both with regard to the needs and demand for training as well as the supply of relevant
training services available to informal operators.
---
Training and
Skill Formation for Decent Work in the Informal Sector: Case Studies from South India
by Amit Mitra, Geneva, 2002.
While various conceptualisations of the informal sector have been debated ever since
it was formulated in the early 1970s (Bangasser, 2000; Hart, 1973), the fact remains that
nearly 500 million people around the world are employed in the informal sector today (ILO,
1998). It is now being increasingly recognised that the phenomenon is here to stay and that
government policies for economic and social development, including education and training
policies, should target those who work in this sector. Despite the international attention on
informal sector analyses over the past two decades, training, skill formation and education for
workers in this sector have received much less attention than it deserves from researchers as
well as policy makers.
|
Home work in selected Latin American countries: A
comparative View
by Manuela Tomei; 2000.(Available also in Spanish)
Home work is an enduring, flexible mode of work which, according to various sources, is
acquiring a new impetus as a result of the current processes relating to more flexible production and
economic globalization. Traditionally, home work used to be associated with low-productivity activities
engaging principally non-organized female labour, in situations of over-exploitation, precariousness and
poverty. Today, however, it is emerging also in cutting-edge sectors and absorbing qualified manpower
with substantial bargaining power.
In the light of the new facets and characteristics acquired by this mode of work, the analytical
concepts and categories traditionally used should be reviewed, and employment policy reformulated
accordingly. The subject was discussed by the International Labour Conference of the International
Labour Organization (ILO) in 1995 and 1996, and culminated with the adoption of Convention No. 177
and Recommendation No. 184, thus reflecting efforts, at the international level, to gain a clearer
understanding of this phenomenon and of the most appropriate measures to deal with it. |
Homeworkers in
Paraguay
Maria Victorial Heikel; 2000. (Available also in Spanish)
|
Homeworkers in
Peru
Francisco Verdera; 2000. (Available also in Spanish) |
From Journal of World Systems Research, Vol 12 N. 1 2006
James C. Fraser
Globalization, Development and Ordinary Cities: A Review
Essay Book Reviews
What are the underlying spatial assumptions about the world that renders
some cities exemplars of modernity and innovation, while others are cast
as being behind, and worse yet, forgotten places? This is a key question that
has emerged in geography and sociology, and is addressed in
Jennifer Robinson’s book Ordinary Cities: Between Modernity
and Development. The purpose of this essay is two-fold in that
it provides a review of Robinson’s book and it also uses her
text as a vehicle to interrogate the geo-politics of urban theory
development. In particular, scholars have voiced concern over
the manner in which “world cities” and then “global cities” have
the power/knowledge effect of reifying the idea that there is one “world system”
that can be measured objectively.
-------------------------
------------------- |
Conference on African Migration
in Comparative Perspective - June, 2003
M. Cerrutti and R. Bertoncello
Urbanization and Internal Migration Patterns in Latin America
---
A. Portes
Urbanization in Comparative Perspective
---
Graeme Hugo, GISCA, Australia
"Urbanization in
Asia: An Overview"
---
---
C. Elisa Florez, CEDE, Colombia
"Migration and
the Urban Informal Sector in Colombia"
---
Kinuthia Macharia, American University, USA
"Migration in
Kenya and Its Impact on the Labor Market"
-------------------- |
From "State of
the World Population 2004", UNFPA
Migration and Urbanisation
In order to achieve a balanced spatial distribution of
production employment and population, countries should adopt sustainable
regional development strategies and strategies for the encouragement of urban
consolidation, the growth of small or medium-sized urban centres and the
sustainable development of rural areas, including the adoption of
labour-intensive projects, training for non-farming jobs for youth and effective
transport and communication systems. To create an enabling context for local
development, including the provision of services, governments should consider
decentralizing their administrative systems.
--- |
U.S. Census Bureau
Total Middyear Population of the World. 1950-2050
-
Historical Estimates of World Population (-10000-1950) |
The World Bank
Group:
Urban Development
----------------------
The
Urban Poor in Latin America
(2005) Along
with the urbanization of Latin America's population has come
an urbanization of its poor - today about half of the
region's poor live in cities.
----
Analyzing
Urban Poverty: A Summary of Methods and Approaches
(2004) This
paper summarizes the main issues in conducting urban poverty
analysis, with a focus on presenting a sample of case
studies from urban areas that were implemented by a number
of different agencies using a range of analytical approaches
for studying urban poverty.
---------------------
Urban Policy and Economic Development: an
agenda for the 1990s
(1991) This paper analyzes the fiscal, financial and real
sector linkages between urban economic activities and macroeconomic performance. It builds
on this analysis to propose a policy framework and strategy that will redefine the urban
challenge in developing countries. First, the developing countries, the international
community, and the World Bank should move toward a broader view of urban issues, a view
that moves beyond housing and residential infrastructure, and that emphasizes the
productivity of the urban economy and the need to alleviate the constraints on
productivity. Second, with urban poverty increasing, the productivity of the urban poor
should be enhanced by increasing the demand for labor and improving access to basic
infrastructure and social services. Third, more attention should be devoted to reversing
the deterioration of the urban environment. Fourth, the serious gap in understanding urban
issues must be closed. With the decline in urban research during the 1980s, few countries
have a sound analytical basis for urban policy.
-----------------
Global Urban and Local Government Strategy
Executive
Summary
Full Report (PDF
files)
Cities in
Transition Executive Summary (PDF file)
(1999) Winds of change affecting urban areas and
local governments underscore the importance of urban development to national goals
|
|
|
| |
G. Tolly & V.
S. Thomas (1987)
Economics of Urbanization and Urban Policies
in Developing countries
"Urban problems in developing countries have
become more acute in recent decades as people have flocked to cities, and the largest
cities have been affected the most. In coming years, as population growth continues
throughout the developing world, urban problems promise to become increasingly severe. The
volume seeks to promote better understanding and evaluation of policies designed to cope
with these issues. It draws together studies of the causes of observed urbanization
patterns and builds on them to provide a better foundation for policy analysis." |
M. Ravaillan
On the urbanization of poverty
"The poor urbanize faster than the population as
a whole. But experience across countries suggests that a majority of the poor will still
live in rural areas long after most people in the developing world live in urban areas.
"
|
R. Rojas
Notes on urbanization in
developing societies
...like other macrostructural changes, urban growth in less developing societies is
closely associated with capitalist penetration and expansion, ...dependent urbanization,
as opposed to city growth in industrialized areas, must be understood as the expression of
the colonial/neo colonial social dynamic of human settlements; ...because dependent
capitalism is characterised by high levels of urban unemployment, 'marginality' and
material inequalities, urban poverty will be a feature of urban growth in less developed
societies
|
|
|
|
|
|
Urban Poverty and the Informal Sector
A Critical Assessment of Current
Strategies
By S.V. Sethuraman
Development Policies Department
International Labour Office - Geneva
United Nations Development Programme - August
1997
With increasing urbanization the developing world is faced with a new
challenge: how to arrest the decline in urban environment and living conditions?
The situation is likely to get worse because of population growth and migration.
The urban population in these countries is expected to reach about two billions
by the year 2000, or three times the figure in 1970. Much effort has gone into
building capacity within governments to cope with the problem.
It has however become increasingly clear that unless the level of urban
poverty is significantly reduced there is little chance of reversing the current
trends. Substantial urban poverty not only limits the scope for mobilizing the
revenue of urban authorities; more importantly it limits the effective demand
for housing and other basic urban services due to low incomes. Employment being
the most effective instrument to reduce poverty on a sustainable basis it is
imperative that the development policies in these countries place emphasis on
higher productivity and incomes of workers.
- Preface
- I.
Introduction
- Diminishing
access to housing and other basic services: Proximate causes
- II.
Improving the urban living conditions and environment
- Capacity
building
- Urban
poverty: A limiting factor
- III.
Urban poverty and employment
- Trends
in urban poverty
- Alleviating
urban poverty: Role of employment
- Urban
unemployment: Rising?
- Creating
jobs: Diminishing capacity of the formal sector
- Informal
sector: The emerging focus
- Urban
poverty and the informal sector
- IV.
The urban informal sector: Evidence and issues
- Clarifying
the concept
- Opportunities
and constraints
- Poor
access to resources and markets
- Basic
infrastructure: Missing?
- Regulations:
A major constraint
- Policy
environment: Hostile?
- Opportunities
in growing and stagnant economies vary
- Formal-
informal sector linkages in the market
- Policy
bias
- Development
policy and the informal sector
- V.
Response from the governments and the international donor
community
- Current
efforts to assist the urban informal sector
- Easing
access to credit
- Easing
access to training and technology
- Access
to land and infrastructure
- Regulatory
framework
- Policy
framework
- Building
capacity among self-help organizations
- Have
these interventions been effective in raising the incomes?
- Credit
- Training
and other forms of assistance
- Land
and infrastructure
- Lessons
learnt
- VI.
Development of the urban informal sector: Towards an effective
strategy
- Current
strategies to assist the informal sector: A critique
- Missing
link between micro and macro levels
- Dichotomy:
Formal and informal support systems
- Role
of land and infrastructure neglected
- Towards
a new strategy
- Role
of informal sector organizations
- Design
of direct interventions: Looking into the future
- VII.
Conclusion
- References
- Endnotes
|
Architects for Peace
Forum for architects and related professions seeking
urban development based on social justice, solidarity, respect and peace. |
Environmental Education
Creating an environment to educate about the
environment
Urban
Environmental Management
Glossaries, definitions and indicators
|
Global Built Environment Review
A journal for architecture, planning, development and
the environment GBER is being launched as a refereed quarterly electronic journal with a
yearly printed edition. It aims to have a wide international readership comprising of
architects, planners, developmentalists, environmentalists and students from both the
western and the developing world. Although the main focus of GBER is the 'Built
Environment' it also intends to include debates from the perspectives of the related macro
socio economic, political and developmental issues. Its editorial policy particularly
welcomes the views expressed through the socio culltural determinants of the present day
'multi cultural' society which influences the contemporary 'Global Built Environment'. The
journal is genuinely interested in debates on the built environment of both the developing
and the developed world. The idea is to foster an effective north south solidarity and
provide a forum to encourage a better understanding and communication on a wide variety of
built environment issues including the emerging 'globalisation and its impact on both
Eastern and Western multicultural built environment'. |
United Nations University
World Institute for Development Economic Research:
DP2005/04
Anne Trebilcock:
Decent
Work and the Informal Economy (PDF 196KB)
The ILO was founded for social justice, a mandate expressed today in terms of decent work
as a global goal, for all who work, whether in formal or informal contexts. In June 2002, the
delegates to the International Labour Conference from governments, workers’ and
employers’ organizations adopted a resolution incorporating conclusions on decent work
and the informal economy. The four components of decent work – opportunities for
employment and income, respect for rights at work, social protection and stronger social
dialogue – form the backbone of the ILO’s approach to the informal economy. These
elements can also be seen through a development lens, and necessarily feature a strong
gender dimension. To make the action foreseen by the ILC conclusions more easily
operational in a cross-disciplinary way, the issues they address can be cast in terms of
macro policy, governance, enhancement of productivity, markets and employment, social
protection/addressing vulnerabilities, and representation and voice. All play key roles in
poverty reduction. Moreover, recognizing the importance of measuring progress towards
decent work, developments in relation to indicators are briefly described. This paper
includes annexes reproducing the ILC conclusions along with two relevant resolutions
adopted by the International Conference of Labour Statisticians and a list of ILO websites
that address various aspects of decent work and the informal economy.
-
DP2005/02
Reema Nanavaty: From
Local to Global and Informal to Formal: Entering Mainstream Markets
(PDF 71KB)
RP2005/18
Ralitza Dimova, Ira N. Gang and John Landon-Lane: The
Informal Sector During Crisis and Transition (PFD
120KB)
RP2005/17
Eduardo Sojo and Roberto Villarreal: Public
Policies to Promote Productive Occupation and Increase Formality among the
Moderately Poor: The Mexican Agenda (PFD
238KB)
RP2005/16
Sally Roever: Enforcement
and Compliance in Lima’s Street Markets: The Origins and Consequences of
Policy Incoherence toward Informal Traders (PFD
137KB)
RP2005/19
Jeffrey B. Nugent and Shailender Swaminathan: Voluntary
Contributions to Informal Activities Producing Public Goods: Can these be
Induced by Government and other Formal Sector Agents? Some Evidence from
Indonesian Posyandus (PFD 145KB)
RP2005/12
Sugata Marjit and Dibyendu S. Maiti:
Globalization,
Reform and the Informal Sector (PFD 217KB)
The objective of the paper is to understand the transforming relationship between the formal and
informal sector in a liberalizing open developing economy. There are various facets in this
relationship, and we focus on three essential aspects. First, we look at the impact of deregulatory
policies in the informal sector on informal wages, the earning index of the substantial majority
of the workforce in a developing economy. Theoretical discussions are followed by empirical
evidence on informal manufacturing in India. Implications of introducing labour laws are also
discussed. Then, we highlight the vertical relationship between the formal and the informal
sectors and the consequence of reformatory policies, in particular, the impact on the relative size
of these segments within an erstwhile protected sector. Empirical evidence from Brazil and
Colombia seems to match our theoretical conjectures. We conclude with a discussion of a fieldbased
survey on the changing relationship between formal and informal entrepreneurs in a range
of rural industries in India, as these industries gear up for expanded markets and export. This is
done to provide further insight into the transformation process.
-
RP2005/11
Keith Hart:
Formal
Bureaucracy and the Emergent Forms of the Informal Economy (PFD
114KB)
The following essay has three parts. The first is a story about fluctuations in the balance
of the relationship between impersonal and personal principles of social organization.
This draws heavily on Max Weber’s interpretation of western history. The second part
reviews the concept of an ‘informal economy/sector’ from its origin in discussions of
the Third World urban poor to its present status as a universal feature of economy. The
third part asks how we might conceive of combining the formal/informal pair with a
view to promoting development. In conclusion I suggest how partnerships between
bureaucracy and the people might be made more equal.
-
RP2005/10
Martha Alter Chen:
Rethinking
the Informal Economy: Linkages with the Formal Economy and the Formal Regulatory
Environment (PFD 148KB)
This paper explores the relationship of the informal economy to the formal economy and to the
formal regulatory environment. It begins with a comparison of the earlier concept of the
‘informal sector’ with the new expanded concept of the ‘informal economy’ which includes
microentrepreneurs, own account operators, informal wage workers, and industrial outworkers.
The central arguments of the paper are that (a) most informal enterprises and workers are
intrinsically linked to formal firms; (b) different segments of the informal economy are overregulated,
de-regulated, or under-regulated; and (c) there are benefits and costs to both formality
and informality. The paper concludes that the appropriate role for government is (i) to ensure
that the formal regulatory environment is not biased in favour of formal firms and workers over
informal enterprises and workers (or vice versa) and (ii) to regulate the commercial and
employment relationships between formal firms, informal enterprises, and informal wage
workers.
-
RP2005/14
aqui
Michael Grimm and Isabel Günther: Inter-
and Intra-household Linkages Between the Informal and Formal Sector: A Case
Study for Urban Burkina Faso (PFD 252KB)
RP2005/13
Peter Little: Unofficial
Trade When States are Weak: The Case of Cross-Border Commerce in the Horn of
Africa (PFD 227KB)
-
-
|
| Shanghai Urban Environment Project |
| Haiphong, Vietnam, Urban Development Project |
| Wages
and productivity in Mexican manufacturing Vol. 1 (2003) |
| The
World Bank economic review 11(3) Vol. 1 (English)(1997) |
Development
Gateway:
Urban Development
Metropolitan Governance ---
Urban Poverty and
Environment --- Urban
Waste Management --- Urban Mobility Management
--- Metropolitan
Performance Measurement --- Water Management
---
Transport
Environment
Strategic
Planning
Governance
Journals
Water
and Sewerage
Municipal
Finance
New
Technologies
Housing
Social
Policy
Globalization
Economic
Development
Urban
Poverty
---
Data
and Statistics --- Documents
and Reports --- Events
and Discussion Forums --- Get
Involved --- How
to / Tools --- Organizations,
Networks, People --- Programs
and Projects --- Publications
and Multimedia
|
| ELDIS: Urban development |
| ELDIS: Population and reproductive health |
| Population and
Development/United Nations |
| ELDIS: Health |
| WORLD POPULATION GROWTH (chart) |
| |
World
Resources 1996-97
(A joint publication by The World Resource Institute, The United Nations Environment
Programme, The United Nations Development Programme, and the World Bank) (Data edited by
Dr. Róbinson Rojas)
Part I: The Urban Environment
Chapter 1: Cities and the Environment
Introduction
Urban
Growth Patterns
What
Fuels Urban Growth?
Urban
Poverty
Urban
Environmental Problems
Economic
Costs of Urban Environmental Degradation
Confronting
the Urban Environmental Challenge
•Abidjan: A Portrait of the African Urban Experience
•The Challenge of Environmental Deterioration in Jakarta
•What is an Urban Area?
•Sharing Responsibility for Inner-City Problems
•Detroit Battles Long-Term Effects of Suburban Flight
•Pollution and Health in the Transition Economies
•Designing Sustainable Solutions for Cities
Chapter 2: Urban Environment and Human Health
Introduction
Health
Profiles of Urban Dwellers
The
Urban Physical Environment and Health
The
Urban Social Environment and Health
Multisectoral
Strategies for Improving the Health of
Urban Dwellers
•Can We Improve Neighborhood Quality in Neglected U.S. Cities?
•ASHA Works to Improve Health in Delhi
•The Black Death Revisited: India's 1994 Plague Epidemic
•Household Environmental Problems, Wealth, and City Size
•Community Perceptions of Urban Health Risks
Chapter 3: Urban Impacts on Natural Resources
Introduction
Land
Conversion
Extraction
and Depletion of Natural Resources
Urban
Wastes
Integrated Approaches to Protect the Resource Base
•Water: The Challenge for Mexico City
•Los Angeles Copes with Air Pollution
Chapter 4: Urban Transportation
Introduction
Urban
Transportation Trends
Impacts
of Urban Transportation Trends
Moving
Forward: Key Strategies and Tools
Improving
the Transportation Supply
•The Indian Transportation Paradigm
•Setting Limits Pays Off in Portland, Oregon
•Nonmotorized Transportation: What's To Become of Bicycles
and Pedestrians
Chapter 5: Urban Priorities for Action
Introduction
Priorities
for Action: Water and Sanitation
Promoting
Water Conservation
Priorities
for Action: Solid Waste Management
Priorities
for Action: Air Pollution
Priorities
for Action: Land Use
•Ranking Bangkok's Urban Environmental Problems
•Forging a Combined Approach to Urban Pollution Control
•Costs and Benefits of Water and Air Pollution Controls in
Santiago
•Integrated Transportation and Land Use Planning Channel
Curitiba's Growth
Chapter 6: City and Community: Toward Environmental Sustainability
Introduction
Strengthening
Local Governments in Developing Countries
A
Community-level Approach to Environmental Management
Setting
Priorities
Cities
and Sustainable Development
•Cities Take Action: Local Environmental Initiatives
•The Orangi Pilot Project, Karachi, Pakistan
•Housing Program for Cali's Poor Encourages Self-Help
•Citizen Participation Leads to Better Plan for the Bronx, New
York
•Nigeria's Community Banks: A Capital Idea
•International Urban Environment Programs
|
Interamerican
Development Bank
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
Urban Development:
Housing
Urban
Heritage Conservation
Urban
Poverty
Urbanization has made it easier to satisfy some of the basic needs of the
population of Latin America and the Caribbean, yet it has not reduced the
overall problem of urban poverty. Although public services are more abundant in
urban areas, the higher cost of living and lower and unstable incomes push most
of the population into poverty, limiting their access to the goods and services
offered in the cities. During the last three decades, the number of poor urban
residents has increased significantly, from 44 million in 1970 to 125 million in
2000, whereas the number of rural inhabitants living in poverty has remained
stable at approximately 78 million. Urban poverty is increasing as a result of
the rise in informal urban employment (which, in turn, results from the
inability of the region's economies to generate sufficient formal employment).
In certain cases, the informal sector, which concentrates mainly in service
activities, represents up to 73 percent of the urban labor market. The main
challenge facing Latin American and Caribbean cities is how to incorporate this
informal workforce into the formal economy, where wages, social protection and
productivity are higher, or, alternatively, how to improve the productivity,
income and level of protection of informal employment.
Urban poverty is characterized by significant and multiple deficiencies whose
main dimensions include:
- Insufficient or unstable income, which leads to inadequate consumption;
- Risks caused by deficient access to basic goods and services;
- Low-quality housing that leaves residents more vulnerable to critical
sanitary problems, contamination, crime and natural disasters; and
- Discrimination and limited access to the formal labor market, in particular
for women and ethnic groups.
Solutions to these problems require multi-sector interventions coordinated in
the impoverished neighborhoods. Acting in coordination with the Poverty Unit and
other teams in the Sustainable Development Department, the Social Programs
Division works to understand the multiple dimensions and characteristics of
urban poverty, principally those that affect the inhabitants of central areas,
and to identify effective policies that address the most urgent concerns.
Technical studies and best practice analysis on these issues support Bank loans
to rehabilitate central areas and upgrade neighborhoods.
Urban
Rehabilitation
The rapid growth of Latin American and Caribbean cities has prompted a surge
in the economies of the region, but has also created new problems. One major
concern is the abandonment of central areas of cities, the result of a complex
combination of consumer preferences and deficient public policies that encourage
urban sprawl. The most dynamic economic activities, high-income households and
the services that supply them, have moved to the periphery, demanding new
infrastructure and generating new urban facilities (such as shopping malls,
gated communities and country clubs). This process causes the economic and
social decay of central areas and the deterioration of real estate assets and
infrastructure.
Several local and state governments have implemented programs to rehabilitate
and develop these abandoned central areas. The IDB supports these programs
through loans and technical assistance. They include a variety of interrelated
interventions including changes in zoning, infrastructure rehabilitation,
improvement of public spaces, the promotion of new economic activities, the
preservation of heritage or symbolic buildings and the recovery, recycling or
redevelopment of private buildings. Execution of these programs requires
significant financial and institutional resources, as well as the establishment
of strong alliances between all interested parties, in order to sustain the
interventions in the long term.
The Sustainable Development Department collaborates with the Regional
Operations Departments in the identification, design and execution of urban
rehabilitation programs through good practice studies and operational
guidelines. The study of international urban rehabilitation programs indicates
that successful projects require well-coordinated interventions, executed in a
suitable sequence and with sufficient scale to counteract the negative trends in
real estate markets. The proper execution of these programs requires efficient
institutions capable of working in cooperation with the private sector. For this
reason, the Bank emphasizes the development and strengthening of the
institutional capacity of the executing agencies in all urban rehabilitation
projects.
Municipal
and Regional Development
Neighborhood
Upgrading
---
Publications
Events
News
Bulletins
Links
to Other Sites
Terms and
Conditions.
|
|
|
