Informal Economy and the World Bank

Beegle, Kathleen; Benjamín, Nancy; Recanatini, Francesca; Santini, Massimiliano

doi:10.1596/1813-9450-6888

Cited by 51 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The services of concern are those with direct impact on productivity, such as infrastructure, capital education, health care, and social security. Governments should therefore focus less on legalizing the informal sector than on creating a level playing field for agents of formal and informal sector workers (Benjamin 2014). Filmer and Fox (2014) project the change in the structure of employment that implies substantial growth in nonagricultural employment.…”

Section: Informality In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Extending Pension Coverage to the Informal Sector in Africa

Guven¹

2019

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retro geometric background: © iStock.com/marigold_88 AbstractThe coverage of pension systems in the Africa region is limited to the small segment of the population in the formal sector. Coverage is thin partly because traditional contributory pension schemes are not responding to the needs of the informal sector. As a result, a large share of the region's adult population has no access to contributory pension schemes during their working lives. This means they will not be eligible for a pension. It also means the elderly coverage gap will persist in most countries. Expanding coverage to a larger group of workers is especially important because the elderly is now often cared for by their children. As the children move to cities, their ties to the elderly and home villages weaken. As a result, the elderly may be left behind with fewer resources.An increasing number of governments in the region are examining initiatives to extend pension coverage to informal sector workers. This paper argues that informality represents distinctive issues in the provision of retirement income that cannot be addressed merely by extending conventional pension systems to these workers. Different solutions are needed to tackle the unique characteristics of this group, some members of which may have the potential to save, but not sufficiently to participate in traditional contributory pension systems. That the scheme does not rely on a formal employer-employee relationship is an important characteristic and contrasts with formal sector pension plans based on formal employment contracts pension scheme for the informal sector. This paper aims to provide recommendations on the main principles of a pension scheme for the informal sector.JEL Codes : D80, G20, J10, J26, J46, J50, O17, O55

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Section: Informality In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most studies on the informal sector find that the informal sector workforce differs from the formal sector workforce (Benjamin 2014). Because of the distinct characteristics of the informal sector, formal sector pension schemes cannot respond to the needs of the informal sector.…”

Section: The Characteristics Of Informal Sector Workersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extending Pension Coverage to the Informal Sector in Africa

Guven¹

2019

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“…Women mainly operate in the informal economy because they are less likely to meet formal sector requirements. 84% of employed women in Sub-Saharan Africa, are in the informal sector (Benjamin, Beegle, Recanatini, Santini, 2014). The average time participants had operated the business was 13 years and the range was between 2 to 60 years.…”

Section: Description Of the Samplementioning

confidence: 99%

Religious Beliefs and Entrepreneurial Behaviors in Africa: A Case Study of the Informal Sector in Uganda

Namatovu

Dawa

Adewale

et al. 2018

Africa Journal of Management

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Religion plays a major role in Africa's polity and its influence on the business landscape of the continent has been acknowledged in literature. This study contributes to the discourse by investigating and explaining how religious beliefs shape entrepreneurial behaviours in Uganda's informal sector. Using a qualitative methodology, we explored how entrepreneurs in the context use or adopt religious beliefs in their entrepreneurial activities. By spanning a diverse set of entrepreneurial activities in the informal sector-food vendors, fabricators, hawkers, and recyclers among others, we conducted 49 in-depth interviews. Our findings reveal that the entrepreneurs relied on their religious beliefs in defining and coping with a penurious context. Further to this, we explain how religious beliefs galvanize business behaviours and calibrate the entrepreneurial identities of respondents in the context. To facilitate future work, the study highlights how knowledge gaps in the cultural and social setup of the informal economy will produce new insights in entrepreneurship research. It concludes by guiding policy makers and educators to engage and involve faith based institutions in the entrepreneurship promotion agenda.

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“…Some of the largest and fastest growing sectors of African economies are dominated by informal firms: wholesale and retail trade, transportation, restaurants, reproduction of CDs and tapes, carpentry, construction, real estate, etc. (Benjamin et al, 2014). A popular form of informal retail trade in Tanzania is Street Vending Business.…”

Section: Background To the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Conception of Street Vending Business (SVB) in Income Poverty Reduction in Tanzania

Mramba¹

2015

IBR

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Street vending is ubiquitous, especially in developing countries. Despite its role in pro-poor economies, it has received little attention; much has been focused on its negative impacts like, use of public space, congestion, health and safety risks, tax evasion and the sale of shoddy merchandise. In Tanzania, street traders are usually concerned with confrontation with local authorities, and at the end they lose their products and money. This study is basically concerned with exploring the approaches of street vending business operation and conceptualizes the best mode of operation for successful income poverty reduction. It is carried out by reviewing previous studies relating to SVB and the micro informal business sector in general. The study proposes a model for street vending business operations and its interventions that can lead to an income poverty reduction.

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Informal Economy and the World Bank

Cited by 51 publications

References 27 publications

Extending Pension Coverage to the Informal Sector in Africa

Extending Pension Coverage to the Informal Sector in Africa

Religious Beliefs and Entrepreneurial Behaviors in Africa: A Case Study of the Informal Sector in Uganda

The Conception of Street Vending Business (SVB) in Income Poverty Reduction in Tanzania

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