Micro-enterprises and self-employed individuals have been hit particularly hard by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but few studies have tackled the issue. This paper is based on four in-depth case studies of self-employed people from different sectors who have been greatly affected by measures taken to control the pandemic. By capturing shifts in the perception of institutional and economic pressures, as well as precarity after the outbreak of COVID-19, we gained profound insight into crisis management among entrepreneurs working in niche or marginalized fields of business. We found parallels in their biographies and attitudes, but their perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic differ. We observed paradoxes and hybrid logic, as well as different ways of coping with the crisis. Having a “plan B” helped in some cases, while all of them benefitted from the solidarity of networks and communities.

Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt Ergebnisse eines Forschungsprojektes zu Partizipationspraktiken in Genossenschaften dar. Angelehnt an die Sinnstiftungsperspektive in Organisationen (Weick 1995) wurde mit Hilfe von 14 qualitativen Fallstudien in Genossenschaften ausgewählter Wirtschaftssektoren in Deutschland untersucht, welche Partizipationspraktiken in Genossenschaften existieren und inwiefern deren Vielfalt und Muster im Zusammenhang mit Prozessen organisationaler Sinnstiftung stehen. Es konnten vier Typen der Partizipation in Genossenschaften herausgearbeitet werden, die jeweils ein spezifisches Muster von Praktiken und damit verschränkten Sinnzuschreibungen in Bezug auf Partizipation abbilden: Der managementgelenkte Typus zeichnet sich durch ein hierarchisches und marktorientiertes Agieren aus. Beim kundenorientierten Typus werden die Mitglieder vor allem als finanziell profitierende Kund*innen gesehen. Der projektbasierte Typus beruht auf Partizipation als Teil des gemeinsamen Projekts, während der werteorientierte Typus durch eine nachhaltigkeitsorientierte und milieu-spezifische Ausrichtung geprägt ist.

Research on temporary agency work emphasizes that temporary agency workers (TAWs), particularly those in low-skilled jobs associated with precariousness and low social prestige, are likely to be exposed to poor treatment, as well as stigmatization. On the contrary, stigmatization of TAWs in high-skilled jobs has not been treated in much detail in previous studies. Literature provides an incomplete picture of stigmatization within the broader field of temporary employment regarding the focus on low-skilled jobs. Hence, the present qualitative study is based on data from interviews of a heterogeneous sample of TAWs employed in low- and high-skilled jobs in Germany. By using and modifying Boyce and colleagues’ (2007) model of stigmatization, the study shows that stigmatizing treatment towards TAWs occurs across all skill levels, although the intensity and form of those experiences, as well as coping strategies, differ. Thereby, this study contributes to a more differentiated and skill level-specific understanding of how TAWs perceive and cope with stigmatization linked to their employment status. It also provides an important opportunity to advance Boyce and colleagues’ (2007) complex model of TAW stigmatization with empirical underpinnings.

Summary During qualitative research on trust, conducted in a mariculture chain in southern Brazil, the theme of informality emerged spontaneously in most interviews. Although it is difficult to measure, some data and estimates point out that informality is still quite present worldwide, but especially in emerging and developing countries, and this situation was confirmed in the studied supply chain. In analysing the narratives, we noticed that this is a chronic issue which bothers the producers that are properly formalised mainly because of unfair competition, and hinders the organisation of the chain. Some factors foster the persistence of informality, such as family labour and temporary jobs, the low educational level of entrepreneurs, lack of adequate supervision and cultural aspects of producers and their families. We could corroborate the perspectives of modernisation (informality is still persistent), neo‐liberal (informal entrepreneurs reject the bureaucracy of an over‐regulated market) and post‐structuralist (informality is a way of life related to identity, social position and/or resistance against the formal structure) theories. Our research has shown us that the situation found is contributing to a reduction in the number of formal producers and impairing the development of that local supply chain, as well as its sustainability.