Governing the network: Trust in E-waste informality in India

Abstract

The informal sector occupies a significant position and proportion of modern-day configuration of global e-waste recycling networks. The internal governance in the work and life of informal waste actors is crucial to sustain the spatial coordination of used goods trade. Using the global production network (GPN) framework, this paper investigates the value of trust and social networks in organising the predominantly informal e-waste processing activities in India. Based on an extensive primary research conducted between 2011 and 2013 in Delhi and a subsequent revisit to the field in 2018 and 2021, it provides a much-needed analysis of the robust informal linkages in the political economy of e-waste in the country. The GPN literature has not sufficiently explored the significance and interplay of trust in informal governance relationships in waste management. Drawing from the rich scholarship on trust and social network to analyse the empirical evidence, this research argues that inter-personal ties, shared norms and clustering practices nurture trust that is fundamental for constructing and regulating informal business endeavours. It contributes to the GPN understanding of vertical and horizontal network governance by demonstrating how the cohesive power of trust vitalises the recycling landscape and consolidates the position of informality therein despite recurring legislative endeavours to stifle informal operations.