Abstract
This paper makes an attempt to define informal social security and discusses the role of traditional support systems and extended family as social security institutions. Self organised mutual support systems which are neighbourhood or community-based informal systems that go beyond kinship and family ties are discussed. The African traditional values such as “botho” “ubuntu” and “harambee” are discussed. The idea that formal and informal social security systems having the same goal is advanced and that it is possible to build synergies between the two systems. Finally that an integrative approach needs to be adopted between the nonformal and the formal systems of social security.
Highlights
This paper makes an attempt to define informal social security, discusses the role of traditional support systems and the role of the extended family as a social security institution
Self organised mutual support systems which are neighbourhood or community-based informal systems that go beyond kinship and family ties are discussed
The paper touches on self-organised mutual support systems and the reasons for the reliance on informal social security arrangements
Summary
This paper makes an attempt to define informal social security, discusses the role of traditional support systems and the role of the extended family as a social security institution. “Very small scale units producing and distributing goods and services, and consisting largely of independent, self employed producers in urban areas of developing countries, some of whom employ family labour and/or a few hired workers or apprentices; which operate with very little capital, or none at all, which utilize a low level of technology and skills; which operate at a low level of productivity; and which generally provide very low and irregular incomes and highly unsafe employment to those who work in it They are informal in that they are for the most part unregistered and unrecorded in official statistics; they tend to have little or no access to organised markets, to credit institutions, to formal education and training institutions, or to many public services and amenities; they are not recognized; supported or regulated by the government; they are often compelled by circumstances to operate outside the framework of the law, and even when they are registered and respect certain aspects of the law they are almost invariably beyond the pale of social protection, labour legislation and protective measure at the workplace (ILO, 1999a). Shopkeepers regard them as unfair competitors and they are regularly subjected to harassment and eviction from public areas
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