THE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTER
More information on GDRC's Economy sphere
  GDRC's Economy Sphere  
  The Informal Sector  
So what kinds of policies best foster the informal sector to mainstream, without loosing its inherent advantages? What is its role in poverty alleviation?
Tyre recycling in Yangoon, Myanmar
T
he informal sector is an oxymoron - on one hand it is an unorganized 'nuisance' sector whose members, for example, do not pay any form of tax; on the other, it provides jobs and increases incomes of the most vulnerable groups in a city - the very low-income group. What should the policies be? Who should be doing what? What is the link to the formal sector? There are no easy answers!

So where does the informal sector end and the formal sector start? Whats in a name? Whats the difference? What should the response of the governments be? Different sectors, common goals Where do we go from here? The informal sector and Small and Medium Enterprises
Highlights
of GDRC
Research
 One-pagers:

· The Informal Sector and some Development Paradigms
· Parallels between the Lewis Model and the Informal Sector
· Supply and Demand Linkages of Informal Sector Enterprises
· Labour Market Issues in the Urban Informal Sector
· "Yes, but ..." Local Government and the Informal Sector

What is GDRC doing now?
   Currently, GDRC is focussing on the role of informal sector activities within an urban economy context. It is also researching the strategic policy environments in which the informal sector can function efficiently.
Elsewhere
in GDRC
 · Virtual Library on Microcredit - Informal Credit Markets
· Virtual Library on Microcredit - Financing Microenterprises
· UEMRI - Slums and Squatters
· The NGO Cafe

GDRC:
Keeping the Forest
and the Trees
in Mind
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