The Informal Economy & conflict: Dohuk – Kurdistan Region of Iraq as a case study

Abstract

The article explores the role of the urban informal economy in poverty-reduction, peace-building and development in post-conflict city, and its scope to provide both livelihoods for the extreme poor and a platform for economic recovery. Post-conflict recovery is a long and cyclical process and this article explores the drivers of conflict and links to the informal economy, examining both structural and individual factors that support/inhibit the informal economy’s role and growth in post-conflict settings. Fieldwork was carried out in Dohuk exhibiting different facets of conflict and violence. Following the introduction, the article provides a short background to Dohuk; it describes the political and socio-economic conditions in the city, current policies and attitudes towards the urban IE, and provides an overview of the periods of regional violence up to 2014. Later, briefly discusses the two-stage methodology used in the fieldwork. The findings of the artcile are then set out exploring the characteristics of the IE in Dohuk today. It builds a profile of the IE workers and businesses interviewed, and the challenges and problems that the IE faces, before concluding with a commentary on potential protections to strengthen livelihoods. Fially, the article sets out recommendations to support the urban IE in Dohuk. .