Informal Trade Research Articles

PENYAKIT MULUT DAN KUKU DI INDONESIA DANKEBIJAKAN PERDAGANGAN INTERNATIONAL;APA YANG DAPAT DIPELAJARI DARI WABAH TERAKHIR?

The statement letter from the World Health Agency "Office Internationale Des Epizoties (OIE)," started in OIE Resolution Number XI in 1990, has been a new independence for Indonesia to rebuild the livestock and animal health sector. However, the outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in mid-May 2022 in Indonesia and the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan in early January 2022 proves that the importance of the role and influence of international trade, both formal and informal trade, directly or indirectly on government policies in exporting animals and its products to prevent the spread of FMD disease through commodity trading. In addition, the lack of supervision of trade in animal commodities and animal products from export and import activities will impact the emergence of other new infectious diseases that will occur in the future. Therefore, world health organizations, international trade organizations, and governments must review policies related to international trade to prevent repeated transmission and other new diseases in the future by evaluating the causes of FMD transmission in countries declared free of FMD, such as Indonesia. This paper attempts to analyze this problem through the history of FMD in Indonesia and the FMD-free zone from the perspective of international trade. This paper can provide information and contribute to the future prevention of FMD through international trade in Indonesia.

ANALYSIS OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING CHOICE OF INFORMAL FISH TRADE ROUTE AND DESTINATION BY FISH TRADERS BETWEEN MALAWI AND NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES

Choice of trade route and destination by cross border traders is an important decision in today’s increasingly cross border trade of products including fish. The current study examined the geographical factors influencing choice of informal trade route and destination by fish traders. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were adopted for the study. These included semi-structured questionnaires through personal interviews and key informant interviews with fish border inspectors. Data was analyzed through various techniques for trader’s choice and destination. Specifically, principal component analysis and spearman correlation, and Huff’s gravity model were used to identify significant factors influencing choice of trade route and destination, and market attractiveness, respectively. Fish traders bypass official border posts using informal routes connecting the main route before and after the border post. Despite attempts and awareness about formal trade, stringent regulations forced fish traders to use informal trade routes. However, investigations into choice of trade routes and destination found that route distance, presence of alternative destination, mode of transport, demand of the fish product, and personal safety and risks were the factors influencing choice of both trade route and destination by informal fish traders. This geographic analysis provides a basis for addressing challenges in informal cross border trade in Malawi. It is recommended that strategic efforts and investments should be made in the development of transportation infrastructure, such as roads and railways to improve connectivity between secondary routes and one stop border post. The government should also intensify awareness initiatives on COMESA simplified trade regime (STR) to encourage informal traders to transition to the formal sector through use of formal routes.

Intermittent food deserts. Exploring the spatiotemporal dimension of the urban fresh food access in Chilean cities

Food deserts in Chile present a singularity in the context of the Global South. Unlike other countries where food security is mainly achieved through informal trade, in Chile, weekly streets markets is the structural system providing fresh food. Supermarkets complement spatially and functionally street markets. Both systems and their temporal operation makes that the Chilean food deserts main characteristic is their intermittency. The purpose of this research is to analyze the Chilean food deserts to contrast them with the predominant North and Global South discourses and position the Chilean case internationally. Specifically, this article looks to analyze the importance of the spatiotemporal dimension in food access studies where a healthy diet depends on systems other than supermarkets characterized by intermittent operation over week. For this purpose, this article takes the Metropolitan Area of Concepcion as case. First, the research identifies the location and the socioeconomic groups associated with the different degrees of access from a static perspective based on the spatial distribution of supermarkets and street markets. Then, the dynamic analysis introduces the time dimension to reveal the variability of access patterns and the impact on vulnerable groups.The intermittency of the food deserts positions Chile as halfway between the Global South and North models. The particularity of this model is that intermittently and regularly provides a healthy food environment within food deserts. Additionaly, it has the potential to be planned for overcoming structural inequalities in spatial fresh food access.

Business and Politics of Eastern Africa

This article underscores a history of economic relations between Kenya and Uganda from 1962 to 2024. This is due to the fact that Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Sudan, Zaire, Somalia, Burundi, and Ethiopia are the most important business partners for Kenyan exports. The article reviews various literatures and a major gap has been identified. Theoretically, it adopts a bureaucratic theory, as was propounded by Max Weber in 1921. Methodologically, the article embraces a historical research design, as it helps in evaluating and relating the past occurrences in order to establish the causes, effects or trends of those occurrences with the aim of utilising the data to understand and explain the past, present and future anticipated events. In its findings, four eras of Kenya presidents are discussed. These includes: Jomo Kenyatta era, Daniel Arap Moi era, Mwai Kibaki era and finally Uhuru Kenyatta era. Based on the aforementioned eras, the article found out that; first the promise of democracy, a good life, and freedom was punctuated throughout the pronouncements that marked the formative years of the Kenyatta state. Secondly, this article discovered that, in 1990, when Moi was in power, the rhetoric of the KANU party suggested that African traditions were particularly well-suited to a one-party democracy environment. One of the traditions that were mentioned was the practice of making decisions through consensus rather than through competition. Lastly, during Kibaki era, Informal trade thrived due to bureaucratic hurdles and corruption at border points between Uganda and Kenya. In Conclusion, the rise of informal cross-border trade, particularly during times of political instability, has significantly influenced economic interactions between the two countries.

The role of the informal sector in waste sorting, collection, and recycling in Tan An City, Long An

Abstract Despite efforts to adopt at-source waste separation, Tan An city’s solid waste management is under strain due to a lack of infrastructure. The demand of the scrap recycling market has resulted in the forming of a network of informal scrap trading establishments everywhere. Informal garbage workers efficiently collect (pick, buy) scraps from homes, grocery stores, businesses, workplaces, schools, parks, dump sites, and landfills. This boosts waste segregation at the source. Therefore, in Tan An city, most households separate recyclables for sale to informal waste workers. According to survey results, there are approximately 247 informal waste workers in Tan An City engaged in recyclables collection at a daily average rate of 69.66 kilograms per person. Thus, the total quantity of recyclables collected by this sector is approximately 17,260 kg per day, contributing to the daily diversion of 11.4% of waste from landfills. It helps that the annual savings to the city are estimated at VND 2.75 billion for waste collection and transportation and VND 2.47 billion for waste treatment. It also contributes to the creation of jobs, and the reduction of plastic emissions into the ocean because approximately 28.39% of recyclables are plastic waste, and the reduction of approximately 3.076 tons of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere if this amount of waste is transported to a landfill. This study could initiate further research to find a way to introduce modern initiatives that aim to improve working conditions and the environmental impact of the informal sector and include the informal sector into the EPR scheme as their integration is related to social, labor, health, economic, and other issues.

Shadowboxing: The People’s Republic of China’s Use of Informal Trade Restrictions as a Rising Power

ABSTRACT Since 2010, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has intermittently imposed informal trade restrictions on third countries following political disagreement. These occurrences reveal that the PRC increasingly sees the economic domain as a vector to assertively pursue its political interests as a rising power. At the same time, maintaining a favourable international environment to support its continued economic rise remains a key objective of the PRC’s grand strategy. An informal approach to trade restrictions offers the PRC the possibility to engage in coercive influencing while safeguarding its ability to stay connected to the global economy and its main protagonists. This is achieved through deniable and selective coercive measures that avoid raising already acute generalised threat perceptions within and among target states in order to prevent firm balancing responses from emerging. However, as recent experience with the PRC’s initiatives highlights, coercive measures have limitations as a wedge strategy. Most notably, rather than dividing targets, they may serve to strengthen ties between them.

When borders close: Social networks, resilience and food security among informal cross-border fish traders on the Ghana-Togo border

Cross-border fish trade contributes to regional food security and is a source of income for informal traders. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the activities of cross-border traders were severely affected. Lockdowns and border closures limited the movement of people and goods, hindering regional trade. The study builds on a survey using semi-structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews conducted in Ghana in 2021 and examines the impacts of the Ghana-Togo border closure on informal cross-border female fish traders’ livelihoods and food security. The findings demonstrate that despite traders’ great efforts to keep their businesses afloat, the border closure affected the traders’ mobility, trade routes, trade volumes, and incomes, which in turn negatively affected the variety and quality of their households’ diets. However, the study also documents how traders were able to implement different strategies to cope with the difficult situation by activating and extending trust-based social networks crucial for trade. The authors therefore conclude that the social embeddedness of fish traders’ informal economic activities was decisive for the resilience of the cross-border trade system during the pandemic, which at least to some degree mitigated the negative effects on traders’ livelihoods and food security.

Impact of informal trade on labor employability in the Peruvian Amazon economy

Impact of informal trade on labor employability in the Peruvian Amazon economy

Business resilience strategies for informal traders in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era in Gweru, Zimbabwe

Purpose: The informal trading business is a springboard for employment and poverty reduction, even during disruptions, such as those brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, this study examines the business resilience strategies adopted by informal traders to improve their livelihoods in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era in Gweru, Zimbabwe. Research methodology: An exploratory research design underpinned this study’s data collection and thematic analysis approaches. Thirteen purposively sampled participants participated in face-to-face in-depth interviews. Findings: Participants identified social networking, consignment sale agreements, business analysis, and financial capital boost as some of the business resilience strategies used by both male and female traders to improve their livelihoods in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period. Limitations: The study used a qualitative approach, whose findings could not unravel all resilience strategies adopted in the post-COVID-19 era in the whole country, as a study using a quantitative methodology could have. Accordingly, the study’s results are limited as they cannot be generalized to other cities. Contribution: This study incorporates informal traders’ business resilience strategies adopted in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era to sustain livelihoods and fight poverty and hunger. These strategies have not yet been used to explain the sustainability of livelihoods in post-pandemic disruptions. Novelty: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruptions, the resilience strategies adopted by informal traders enabled them to sustain their livelihoods and mitigate poverty and hunger. Consequently, the applicability of the sustainable livelihood approach has broadened in emerging economies.

<p>Overcoming Banking Limitations: the Use of Alternative Finance</p>

The present article explores the relationship between bank credit constraints and the utilization of alternative financing for a sample of Latin American SMEs. It analyzes whether the inability of businesses to obtain bank credit affects the likelihood of turning to other forms of financing, such as informal loans, personal loans, or trade credit. Logit models are estimated to test whether companies facing bank credit constraints can access alternative forms of financing. The results reveal that the probability of using alternative financing is conditioned by both the type of instrument and the nature of the restriction, whether it originates from the supply or the demand.

Black Women’s Lived Experiences of Informal Street Trading in East London, South Africa

The study sought to evaluate women’s lived experiences of informal street trading in East London with specific reference to the coping strategies they adopt and their challenges within the industry. A qualitative method was used, adopting a case study design. Interviews were conducted with fourteen street trader women participants who were purposefully selected because of the artefacts they displayed for sale. Data collected through semi-structured interviews were thematically analysed. The results revealed that the harsh street-trading environment forced the women traders to adopt some coping strategies, for example, using the history behind the artefacts they were selling in order to encourage customers to buy, customer care, always displaying a smile to their customers, and bargaining with the customer. The study also emerged from the study that the women were experiencing challenges with their trade, including competition, bad weather, price drops, and high transport costs. The study contributes to an improved understanding of the life realities faced by black rural women informal street traders in East London.

Factors Affecting Learners Enrollment into STEM Programs n TVET Institutions within Kisumu County, Kenya: A Comparative Analysis

The Kenya National Qualification Authority (KNQA) defines Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) as the process used to identify, assess, and certify a candidate’s knowledge, skills, and competencies acquired in non-formal or informal learning, such as work or life experiences, against prescribed standards or learning outcomes. Despite the launch of RPL by KNQA in 2021, its implementation in Kenya, especially Western region, has generally been slow. This study was therefore conducted to: i)To identify key non-formal and informal economy-driving industries with uncertified skilled workers in, ii) To determine the level of need for RPL by Jua Kali workers; iii) To identify the possible RPL processes and nomenclature suitable to MMUST in relation to CBET and, iv) To identify the level of awareness on RPL among stakeholders. The study was done through questionnaires. The first was a needs assessment study targeting eleven ‘Jua Kali’ sectors in Kakamega town. These were Mechanical, Electrical, Welding, Masonry, Plumbing, Hotel Services, Carpentry, Textile/Dressmaking, Berber Services, and Hair and beauty services Sectors. The study involved 157 workers spread across the eleven sectors. The study found that 77.7% of the respondents have no certification to prove their competency in the work that they do. A majority (88%) of the respondents would like their skills and knowledge gained informally to be assessed and certified by a recognized institution. Also Out of these, 80.6% reported that their institutions have never been involved in the RPL process and 58.3% reported that their institutions have enough trained personnel to implement RPL. Findings also indicate that there is high level of RPL need among the workers at 88%. While reviewing literature from the KNQA, the study found a well laid down policy and guidelines for RPL implementation suitable for MMUST TVET Institute. It further exposes the low awareness on RPL among stakeholders. The study concludes by emphasizing the need to create effective awareness among RPL possible candidates, implementors and policy makers The study recommends aggressive and effective awareness creation among the ‘Jua-Kali’ traders in the twelve non-formal and informal trade areas as well as among the key stakeholders. Establishing an RPL centre in MMUST TVET Institute was deemed highly necessary to accommodate the 88.5% ‘Jua-Kali’ traders in Kakamega town, who are willing to have their skills and knowledge assessed and certified.

The Impact of Informal Cross-Border Trade on Kenya-Uganda Foreign Relations

This paper generally discusses the intricate dynamics of Informal Cross-Border Trade (ICBT) and its profound impact on Kenya-Uganda foreign relations. It is observed in this study that, Kenya and Uganda share a similar history, geography and a distinct cultural background, key to their social and economic relations. It is further noted that Kenya plays a significant role in Uganda's history and vice versa, sometimes influencing each other. Both countries are significant trading partners, but mostly informally, which has expanded in the post-independence period. This is attributed to their shared history, culture, and geography. Since the pre-colonial period, communities in the geographical area that came to be defined as the border between the two countries engaged in informal trade. The paper holds that, Informal Cross Border Trade along the Kenya-Uganda border has shaped the foreign relations between the two countries. The study applied territoriality theory to interpret the impact of ICBT on Kenya-Uganda foreign relations. The theory holds that, each sovereign state has authority to manage resources within its borders. The study used both primary and secondary sources. This study demonstrates that ICBT, positively influences Kenya-Uganda foreign relations. It also expands knowledge on the impact of ICBT on foreign relations.

Navigating hardships: socio-economic struggles of single mothers in informal trade amidst the Covid-19 pandemic: a Mabvuku community case study

Navigating hardships: socio-economic struggles of single mothers in informal trade amidst the Covid-19 pandemic: a Mabvuku community case study

Trading permits and informal entrepreneurship: evidence from South Africa

Abstract We present an empirical analysis of the relationship between trading permits, informal entrepreneurship and unemployment. We exploit a unique regulatory framework of the informal sector in South Africa to estimate the effects of trading permits in the informal sector using individual panel data. To provide a causal effect of these regulations, we apply a difference-in-difference strategy. Trading permits decreased informal entrepreneurship and informal trading by respectively 11.5 per cent and 9.6 per cent for those who were working in the informal sector. We investigate potential indirect effects on formal entrepreneurship, unemployment, and informal wage employment. The adoption of trading permits in the informal sector significantly increases the probability of being unemployed by 4.5 per cent and significantly decreases the probability of being informally employed by 15.5 per cent for those who were in the informal sector. The results suggest that a policy increasing the costs of informality might reduce informality but at the cost of rising unemployment.

Consumption and Informal Trade of Milk in the North of Antioquia (Colombia).

The excessive and irrational use of antibiotics to control bovine mastitis and the informal trade in milk with antibiotic residues are objects of great interest for public health, due to the problems associated with the consumption of milk with antibiotic residues on human, animal, and environmental health, and antibiotic resistance. The objective of this study was to understand the attitudes of dairy farmers towards the self-consumption of milk on the farm, the use of milk with antibiotic residues, and the formal and informal milk trade that generates risks for public health. Mixed methods: cross-sectional and grounded theory. Convergent triangulation design. The study was carried out in 9 dairy municipalities in the North of Antioquia, where 216 dairy farmers participated in the quantitative component; and 17 milk producers and 9 veterinarians took part in the qualitative component. A dairy farmer characterization survey was conducted, as well as a survey on the use and marketing of milk from cows with udder health problems and/or under antibiotic treatment. Semistructured interviews were conducted on the same subject. The variable "Intention to sell milk in the village when the dairy industry does not buy it due to high BTSCC" is associated with the BTSCC variable. The variable "Type of marketing reported" is associated with the CFU variable. 5 categories: self-consumption of milk, use of milk with antibiotics, informal milk trade, control of the dairy industry, and beliefs about the elimination of antibiotics in milk, were constructed to theorize about udder health and public health. Sociocultural, political, and economic factors affect decision making in dairy farmers regarding the use and marketing of milk from cows with mastitis and antibiotic residues. These attitudes and behaviors have public health implications.

Analysis of the Emerging Market for Poultry By-Products in Ghana

<p>The paper examined the emerging poultry by-products market, delving into the nature, revenue generation, influencing factors, and constraints of the market, using data from poultry farmers, aggregators, and cattle farmers. The paper described the nature of the market using descriptive statistics and a flow chart, estimated its contribution to poultry revenue, and examined the factors influencing the proportion of revenue contributed using a Tobit model. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance was used to measure the level of agreement among the poultry farmers in ranking identified constraints. The poultry by-product market is currently characterized by only poultry droppings trading, with Côte d’Ivoire as the largest user (76% of the consumption) in cross-border informal trade and an average selling price of 8.39 USD per metric ton. The emerging market for the by-products can be described as seasonal. Annual revenue per poultry farmer for poultry droppings is 1,072.26 USD. Management type, production scale, and membership of poultry farmers’ association influenced the proportion of revenue contributed from poultry droppings. The emerging poultry droppings market provided an opportunity for small-scale farms to earn additional income and organic manure to support sustainable farming. The key constraints among the poultry farmers participating in the by-products market were low prices and a lack of processing and storage facilities. The study recommended that agriculture sector development agencies should support the development of value chains for poultry droppings and other poultry by-products to help expand the market for sustainable agriculture production under the circular economy framework.</p>

‘Normalizing Informality’ in Local–Transnational Spaces: Contraband, Conflict and Street Trade in Eastern Ethiopia

Informality arguably remains the main source of employment and income for most participants in the cities of the Global South. It is rampant in cities along national borders and transport routes. This paper discusses the ‘normality of informality’, exploring the nexus between contraband, conflict and informal cross-border trade in a local–transnational space, drawing from Dire Dawa in eastern Ethiopia. Data were collected through key informants and in-depth interviews in 2015/2016 and 2019. This study also benefitted from secondary sources. Since its establishment in 1902, the city has become a major hub of commerce, industry, transportation, and cross-border trade. Combining the literature on the informal economy and cross-border trade and drawing on evidence from eastern Ethiopia, this study explores how trade is deeply embedded in local–transnational interactions through partnerships between state and non-state actors. This study argues that informal cross-border trade is a societal mode of provisioning with extensive livelihood opportunities that survive even through periods of conflict and repression. Thus, reducing the vulnerability of participants in informal cross-border trade could be a more effective policy target than eradicating them.

The Growth Opportunities for Nigeria in Joining the African Continental Free Trade Area.

This Article examines the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), focusing on its inception, goals, challenges, and specific implications for Nigeria. Africa, with abundant natural resources and cultural diversity, faces hindrances like poor infrastructure and governance, limiting intra-African trade. Established in 2018, AfCFTA aims to create a competitive single African market by eliminating tariffs and barriers. AfCFTA objectives span tariff elimination, customs harmonization, dispute resolution, and cooperation on technical barriers. Challenges include infrastructure gaps, non-tariff barriers, economic diversity, competition adjustments, informal trade, political instability, capacity constraints, and financing issues. Mitigating these requires strategies like infrastructure development, trade facilitation, capacity building, and harmonizing standards. Nigeria, as Africa's largest economy, could benefit from AfCFTA by accessing cheaper goods. However, implementation faces delays due to unmet trade requirements. The National Action Committee outlines pillars for effective implementation, emphasizing institutional development, export growth, improved trade facilitation, and infrastructure development. Despite Nigeria's delay, the upcoming Guided Trade Initiative in October 2023 is anticipated to accelerate its participation in AfCFTA, fostering economic growth and trade relations within the continent. Keywords: Global trade, globalization, AfCFTA, Trade Block, Commerce.

‘(Re)ordering’ North Waziristan, Pakistan: Post-Conflict Transition, Borderland Dynamics and Spatial Identities

ABSTRACT North Waziristan is emerging from an episode of terrorism that lasted for decades. Critically examining the dynamics of borderlands, this paper explicates the intersection of informal cross-border trade with the local economy and livelihoods. These socio-economic patterns created by ungoverned geographies, and porous uncontrolled borders foster a dependence on the informal economy, which is largely responsible for financing and perpetuating the instability. The paper signposts that effective border management and ongoing security reconstruction have contributed to rejuvenating the local economy and providing the necessary impetus for post-conflict economic development, keeping widespread unrest and militancy on hold.