Informal sector

The Nordic Africa Institute library staff has compiled this web dossier to coincide with the increased interest in the topic of the informal sector.

Literature in the library

Use the quick links below to locate titles dealing with topics of interest in the library catalogue, AfricaLit. The lists consist of literature - books and articles - in the form of fiction, non-fiction/factual information and official publications, as well as of other material.

Find titles on informal sector and street vendors in the library collections.
Find titles on informal sector and small scale industry in the library collections
Find titles on informal sector and women in the library collections

Useful keywords

The library suggests the following keywords when searching the library catalogue: Barter, children, child labour, dealers, hidden economy, informal sector, poverty alleviation, small enterprises, small scale industry, social development, social security, street vendors, trade, urban economy, urban policy, women, women workers.

Web links

This is a selection of websites dealing with the informal sector. Many more items are available online on websites and in discussion forums. These links are found in the link collection A Guide to Africa on the Internet, where more web links to sites related to the informal sector can be found.

Decent Work - ILO, International Labour Organization

An ILO project that focuses on people working within the informal sector.

http://www.ilo.org/global

The informal sector

The Global Development Research Center (GDRC) on the informal sector, includes pdf:s on African cases.

http://www.gdrc.org/informal/index.html

StreetNet International

An alliance of street vendors whose aim is to promote the exchange of information and ideas on critical issues facing street vendors, market vendors and hawkers (i.e. mobile vendors) and on practical organizing and advocacy strategies.

http://www.streetnet.org.za/

Women in Informal Employment : Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO)

A global research-policy network that seeks to improve the status of the working poor, especially women, in the informal economy. Most activities fall under global markets, organization and representation, social protection, statistics or urban policies.

http://wiego.org/

Selected online articles and reports

"Möjligheter och villkor inom den informella ekonomin" (April 2007) by Anna-Karin Florén. An interview with the researchers and activists Winnie Mitullah, Jan Theron and Pat Horn on the possibilities and challenges for people working in the informal sector. (In Swedish)

"The urban informal sector in Nigeria : towards economic development, environmental health, and social harmony". (1:1 2005) by Geoffrey I. Nwaka. Article published in Global urban development magazine.

"Women street vendors : the road to recognition" (No 20 2000) by Monique Cohen with Mihir Bhatt and Pat Horn. A SEEDS report from the Population Council, on experiences of urban women street vendors. (pdf)