Informal Production Research Articles

What Are the Land Delivery and Land Holding Mechanisms for African Informal Light Manufacturing Clusters?

This paper theorizes that the impacts of land delivery and land holding mechanisms on the evolution and performance of informal light manufacturing clusters have been underexamined and need renewed evaluation for their impact on cluster performance and evolution of agglomeration effects. It examines 25 cases of African informal production clusters; 19 from existing studies, six previously unpublished to develop eight land delivery mechanism types and eight ways informal clusters hold urban land. The purpose is to provide a nuanced understanding of the mechanisms of land access for informal clusters so that future scholarship can investigate the impact of these mechanisms on informal production cluster evolution. The paper concludes with a resulting set of future research questions and implications for methods.

Exposure: a postcolonial turn in urban ethnography

ABSTRACTA diary kept during the development of Sugar, a commission of the Liverpool Capital of Culture Festival (2006–2007), was the occasion of an autoethnography. This essay reflects on the triangulation made between the architecture of slavery, contemporary discourses of ‘youth culture’ and the dissolution of the representational frame as thematics or topics liquefied into the repressed topology of the city; a direct analogy is made between the famous but inaccessible Williamson tunnels and the creative unconscious of a post-representationalist dramaturgical practice. The ghost volumetrics of this history are cathected into a movement form, assimilable to the kinetics of hip-hop culture; a new topologically identified community was felt to emerge that performed Sugar largely in the sense of channelling its concerns back into cultural traces continuously in informal production. The relationship between peripatetic dramaturg and peripherally located creative youth mapped an urban dérive quite different from that cultivated by the Situationists, a secret tracking or collaboration that linked urban ethnography to a decolonising dramaturgy.

Informal production of the city: Momos, migrants, and an urban village in Delhi

This paper attempts to understand the production of the city through informality. In particular, informal practices related to the momo (dumpling) industry, concentrated in the “urban village” of Chirag Dilli, are analysed in their dialectic relationship with formal planning and legislation in Delhi. We use a Lefebvrian framework that views city-making as an interaction of formal representations in the form of master plans, etc., informal and formal spatial practices (including momo production and living patterns) and representational (imagined) spaces related to neighbourhoods and the city. Drawing on primary qualitative data, we examine how informality informed the formal planning. The uneven application of state legislation, in turn, fostered particular informal practices (such as momo manufacturing) and the emergence of a distinct urban morphology and of new cohabitation practices. The informal momo industry also altered the representational associations made with both the Chirag Dilli neighbourhood and the city of Delhi. The paper shows how informal practices constantly interact with formal frameworks to co-produce urban space and consequently the city. We argue that informal practices are not necessarily in conflict with formal planning or subverting it, but that they play a central role in their own right for the production of space.

Environmental policy in the presence of an informal sector

We demonstrate how the presence of an informal sector can sharply lower the cost of environmental and energy tax policy through two mechanisms. First, energy taxes indirectly tax the informal sector because even informal firms must buy formal sector sources of energy such as electricity. Second, a revenue-neutral shift in the tax base toward energy can decrease the tax burden on goods which are substituted for by the informal sector. These mechanisms can lead to welfare-enhancing substitution from informal labor into the formal sector. We consider the magnitude of these effects in a stylized model of the U.S. tax system. Even though the U.S. informal sector is relatively small, we find that distortionary costs of energy taxes are reduced by more than half. In developing countries, where the informal sector is typically much larger, the effect we identify here become even more relevant: we find negative gross costs in many cases. Finally, we address two potentially important countervailing effects: the use of informal fuels in developing countries and the potential for informal production to substitute for energy-intensive goods. We show how these different types of informality compete, and find that welfare enhancing effects typically dominate.

Towards a multi-scalar reading of informality in Delft, South Africa: Weaving the ‘everyday’ with wider structural tracings

Informality is a critical theme in urban studies. In recent years, ‘the everyday’ has become a focus of studies on informality in African cities. These studies focus on particularity and place. They offer a useful corrective to top-down and universalising readings which exclude the daily experiences and practices of people from analysis. As we show in this article, everyday studies surface valuable insights, highlighting the agency and precarity which operates at the street level. However, a fuller understanding of informality’s (re)production requires drawing together particularist accounts with wider and more structural tracings. These tracings offer insights into the ways in which state and financial processes influence and interface with the everyday. In this article, we use the case of housing in Delft, a township in Cape Town, to demonstrate this approach and argue for a multi-scalar and relational reading of the production of informality.

Do formal and informal protection methods affect firms' productivity and financial performance?

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the direct relationship between formal and informal protection methods and firms' productivity and financial performance. This study used Chilean firms' level data. The principal findings are that micro, small and medium‐sized enterprises (MSMEs) with informal protection methods positively influence productivity and financial performance. Moreover, the results show that formal and informal protection methods are interconnected. Their joint effect accelerates firms' productivity and makes financial performance stronger as compared to using a single protection method. This outcome is robust across SMEs and large firms. Thus, this finding suggests that using a combination of formal and informal protection method benefits firms' productivity and financial performance. The managerial implications of this study suggest that business managers/owners could use multiple protection methods (a mix of formal and informal) to increase their firms' productivity and profitability. In addition, to support innovation in Chilean firms, economic policies must encourage innovation in small businesses through subsidies (tax credits) and R&D grants, as well as awareness of the use of protection methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agglomeration Economies in the Presence of an Informal Sector the Colombian Case

This paper analyzes the relationship between agglomeration economies and wages in the context of a developing country, taking into account the marked presence of the informal sector. Using data from Colombia, we investigate the effect of agglomeration economies on formal and informal productivity, inquiring whether the informal sector achieves benefits from agglomeration economies and whether there are differences between the formal and informal sectors in terms of agglomeration returns. We estimate an elasticity of wages with respect to employment density of around -4% for the formal sector, and around 3% for the informal sector. As such, agglomeration has a significantly positive effect on the productivity of the informal sector. The results show that informal workers' productivity in a city twice as dense is 2% greater, implying that wages in denser areas are 14% higher than in less dense areas. In contrast, for the formal sector, the results show that productivity in formal workers in a city twice as dense is of around 3% lower, leading such workers to earn 17% less in denser areas. Factors associated with the constraints relative to the creation of formal jobs, a greater labor supply of formal workers, and des-amenities very common in big cities in developing countries

The Urban Informal Economy in Ethiopia: Theory and Empirical Evidence

Despite availability of ample empirical evidence regarding the role the urban informal sector plays in the economy of low income households in developing countries in general, development programmes and plans have failed to integrate the sector into the overall development effort. In addition, evidence is limited in the Ethiopian context. This study used national household survey data to explore the roles and characteristics of the informal sector in urban centers of Ethiopia, in light of existing theory. Data was analyzed using simple descriptive statistics such as means and frequencies, and results were discussed using relevant literature, document review and observation. Results show that 1) informal sector employment substantially increased, 2) some production activities such as manufacturing; services; and trade, hotels and restaurant activities decreased while construction and related activities increased, 3) shortage of capital was found to be the major factor limiting work participation in the sector, and the financing of the sector mainly came from informal sources, 4) the level of income per person varied sharply among the various sectors. Finally, the role and characteristics of the Ethiopian urban informal sector is not fully explained by any single theory since all the three theoretical perspectives discussed in the literature review appear to be working in combination. Keywords: urban centers; employment; informal economy, informal activity establishments, urban informal production

현대적 비정형화 디자인제품으로서의 버네큘러디자인 발전가능성에 대한 연구

본 논문은 향후 다양한 사회문제들을 해결해 나가는데 도움이 될 것으로 예측되는 버네큘러디자인이 새로운 디자인 접근방식으로 지속 발전할 수 있도록 이론적이고 체계적인 학술 자료를 제공하고자 연구되어졌다.BR 연구방법은 인터넷을 이용한 국내외 정보 D/B 및 네트워크 검색, 논문과 단행본을 포함한 도서 · 출판물등 문헌조사를 통한 고찰 및 분석이 중심이 되었다.BR 연구의 내용과 결과는 다음과 같다.BR 첫째, 버네큘러디자인은 오랜 기간 동안 종합적 진화를 거친 지역 고유 전통 기반 디자인을 의미한다.BR 둘째, 버네큘러디자인은 비정형화 된 개념적 기준위에 직관적 프로세스를 거쳐 지역 생산 재료 혹은 리사이클 가능한 1차 재료로 익명작가에 의해서 제작되어 그 지역 시각 문화를 반영한 색채와 기호로 표현된 디자인으로 정의 된다.BR 셋째, 자연생태계와의 공존, 지역 중심의 자연 및 인간 친화 기술과의 조화, 여러 세대를 거친 사용상의 개선과 유연한 변형, 그리고 새로운 관점과 제작방식의 비정형 디자인 요소들이 버네큘러디자인의 총체적 특성이다.BR 따라서 버네큘러디자인은 자연생태계와의 공존을 추구하는 생체모방디자인, 지역 중심 기술과의 조화를 모색하는 적정기술, 전통적 아름다움이 가진 미학적 가치와 문화적 자산이라는 주요 디자인 요소들로 현대적 비정형 디자인과의 상호연관성을 가지며, 이에 의한 새로운 창의적 디자인사고 접근방식으로 사회저변에서 발생하는 다양한 유형의 문제 해결을 가능하게 할 것으로 전망되어진다.BR 본 연구가 관련 산업과 연구에 학술적 · 이론적 자료로서 활용되어질 수 있기를 기대한다.

Reform, informal sector, and extortion

AbstractInformal economy involving unrecorded, unregistered, extra‐legal activities employs majority of the work force in the developing world. Such extra‐legal existence of informal production is facilitated through extortion by agents of political forces in power. Also, extortion activities themselves constitute an informal segment. Full‐scale general equilibrium consequences of such institutions are rarely discussed in the literature. We develop a well‐specified general equilibrium model to explore the possible consequences of reform. Economic reform may have an expansionary effect on the number of extortionists. Depending on capital mobility and factor intensity assumptions informal output and informal wage may increase.

Exploring Informality In A Global South City: Issues Of Power And Urban Development In Kuala Lumpur

Framed by global south urban studies‟ discussions about the issues of power in the production of informality, this paper critically assesses the urban development history of a traditionally inhabited area in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Based on the analysis of official documents and 18 months of observation and application of semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, this paper first presents the urban development history of this area, and then discusses it in light of two emergent themes associated with issues of power in informality, namely state power and market forces. Casting a critical eye towards the idea of informality as something that should be „fixed‟ by urban development practices, this work discusses the sharp influence of state power and market forces in the production of informality in Kuala Lumpur and, consequently, in other global south cities.

The credibility of slums: Informal housing and urban governance in India

A major challenge facing Indian cities is the expansion of informal housing beyond state control or regulation. In Mumbai, the financial capital of India, forty-two percent of the population lives in slums. What explains the proliferation and persistence of slums in Mumbai despite their ill-protected property rights and poor quality of living? Applying the Credibility Thesis to the study of urban informality, the paper argues that slums persist because they fulfill certain functions and, therefore, are credible. It will be ascertained that, slums in Mumbai provide alternative housing and economic opportunities for city residents as well as serving as “vote banks” in electoral politics. Slum redevelopment in Mumbai is slow and fraught with contention, largely because the government neglects the high credibility of slums. As a reflection on the function rather than merely the form of slums, this paper challenges the dichotomy between the formal and the informal, and sheds new light on the role of the state in the production and governance of urban informality.

Access and use of financial markets for basic education expenses

As a result of the financial crisis of 2008, the macroeconomic adjustment has affected Mexican homes through greater unemployment and a drop in purchasing power. Moreover, families had to keep financing education costs, sometimes going into debt in the formal or informal financial market. The hypothesis of this article proposes that the access and use of formal and informal financial products makes it possible to reduce financial problems associated to education expenses at the basic education levels. The probit model is estimated with a sample comprised of four hundred homes in the municipality of San Pedro Cholula (state of Puebla). The results indicate that a worsening in the work conditions and the loss of employment are associated to a greater probability of facing financial difficulties. Likewise, the access to the formal financial market allows reducing the probability of facing these difficulties, whereas for the informal market the results are a function of the characteristics of each financial intermediary.

Video Production as a Pathway for Building Identity

How can educators use informal video production to facilitate educational, creative processes for students? What are effective approaches in teaching digital media production and literacy and what skills are best built by these creative processes? This analysis traces the successes and failures of three years of a month-long course for MIT students to script and host science, technology, engineering, and/or math-related YouTube videos to inspire youth and facilitate meaningful learning. This in-depth case study unpacks our instructional approach for and outcomes from equipping STEM-inclined students to become inspiring advocates for their fields.

Espacio público, periferia urbana y derecho a la ciudad. Intervención Parque Caracolí, Ciudad Bolívar

The informal production of habitat is a growing phenomenon in Colombian cities, which share a common characteristic: the lack of public space to enable the development of community life. In a period when the right to the city has been reclaimed government actions seem to be insufficient. There is then a reflection for academics to empower the inhabitants of popular neighborhoods to effectively influence the transformation of their realities. From this perspective, this paper presents the work conducted in Caracoli, an informal settlement located in Bogota DC, Colombia, where different academic and social objectives were combined to improve the physical conditions of the only park in the area. This study shows theoretical backgrounds, the results of previous research developed by the authors and the development of activities to conclude on the need to combine different knowledge for the construction of communities and cities.

Automated extraction of product comparison matrices from informal product descriptions

We propose a procedure for extracting comparison matrices from informal product descriptions.We evaluate our proposal against numerous categories of products mined from BestBuy.Matrices exhibit numerous comparable information and can supplement or even refine technical descriptions.A user study shows that our automated approach retrieves a significant portion of correct information.Users can compute, control, edit and refine matrices in a Web environment called MatrixMiner. Domain analysts, product managers, or customers aim to capture the important features and differences among a set of related products. A case-by-case reviewing of each product description is a laborious and time-consuming task that fails to deliver a condense view of a family of product.In this article, we investigate the use of automated techniques for synthesizing a product comparison matrix (PCM) from a set of product descriptions written in natural language. We describe a tool-supported process, based on term recognition, information extraction, clustering, and similarities, capable of identifying and organizing features and values in a PCM - despite the informality and absence of structure in the textual descriptions of products.We evaluate our proposal against numerous categories of products mined from BestBuy. Our empirical results show that the synthesized PCMs exhibit numerous quantitative, comparable information that can potentially complement or even refine technical descriptions of products. The user study shows that our automatic approach is capable of extracting a significant portion of correct features and correct values. This approach has been implemented in MatrixMiner a web environment with an interactive support for automatically synthesizing PCMs from informal product descriptions. MatrixMiner also maintains traceability with the original descriptions and the technical specifications for further refinement or maintenance by users.

The Spillover Effects of Public Investment: Implications for Formal and Informal Sector Firms in India

This paper uses firm-level data on formal and informal production in the manufacturing sector in India to examine the sectoral consequences of government investment in public infrastructure. The average output elasticity of the flow of public investment for an informal sector firm is three times smaller than its formal counterpart. For the accumulated stock of public capital, this difference increases to a factor of seven. However, the sectoral size distribution of firms matters for the effects associated with public investment: for the formal sector, there is very little variation in the output elasticity of public investment across the size distribution of firms. On the other hand, the output elasticity for informal sector firms is strictly increasing in firm size. Further, the relationship between public investment and capital intensity in production for formal sector firms is negative, especially for firms in the middle of the size distribution. By contrast, the corresponding relationship is strictly positive and increasing with firm size for the informal sector, indicating strong complementarities.

Mercury Mining in Mexico: I. Community Engagement to Improve Health Outcomes from Artisanal Mining

BackgroundMercury is an element that cannot be destroyed and is a global threat to human and environmental health. In Latin America and the Caribbean, artisanal and small-scale gold mining represents the main source of mercury emissions, releases, and consumption. However, another source of concern is the primary production of mercury. In the case of Mexico, in the past 2 years the informal production of mercury mining has increased 10-fold. Considering this scenario, an intervention program was initiated to reduce health risks in the mining communities. The program's final goal is to introduce different alternatives in line to stop the mining of mercury, but introducing at the same time, a community-based development program. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to present results from a preliminary study in the community of Plazuela, located in the municipality of Peñamiller in the State of Queretaro, Mexico. MethodsTotal mercury was measured in urine and environmental samples using atomic absorption spectrometry by cold vapor technique. Urine samples were collected from children aged 6-14 years and who had lived in the selected area from birth. Urine samples were also collected from miners who were currently working in the mine. To confirm the presence of mercury in the community, mining waste, water, soil, and sediment samples were collected from those high-risk areas identified by members of the community. FindingsChildren, women, and miners were heavily exposed to mercury (urine samples); and in agreement, we registered high concentrations of mercury in soils and sediments. ConclusionConsidering these results and taking into account that the risk perception toward mercury toxicity is very low in the community (mining is the only economic activity), an integral intervention program has started.

Scoping the Sharing Economy: Origins, Definitions, Impact and Regulatory Issues

This report selectively draws on the systematic review of a large set of data sources, which is presented elsewhere, and comprises 430 secondary sources (Codagnone, 2016). The report also provides a critical overview of key analytical, empirical, and normative dimensions of the ‘sharing economy’. It reviews both the rhetorical and controversial debates currently surrounding the topics and the available empirical evidence in order to sharpen our understanding of relevant policy and regulatory issues. The broad umbrella term 'sharing economy' is critically assessed and a typology developed that identifies the commercial 'peer to peer' sharing economy as the main focus of both controversies and policy-relevant issues. Empirical evidence of the benefits and costs of the sharing economy and its implications for sustainability and employment is very limited and inconclusive, particularly as regards the European landscape. This critical review, hence, shows that, as yet, there are no unambiguous answers to some of the fundamental questions about the ‘sharing economy’. The available research is too limited and patchy to give us a comprehensive and coherent picture. This report’s main contribution is to clear some of the conceptual and empirical fog around the ‘sharing economy’ and to identify where possible answers might be found in the future. It is suggested that the definition of sharing platforms should focus on P2P activities, as most of the policy concerns are found there. These include regulatory and consumer protection issues resulting from the informal production of services, potentially unfair competition with formal B2C service providers, and questions related to dominance and market power of P2P platform operators as commercial businesses.

Political Instability and the Informal Economy

Understanding the determinants of the informal economy is a crucial issue in economic development because of its effect on economic performance as well as undermining the construction of indicators to monitor economic development. While the focus on the literature has been on the proximate causes of informal production, such as taxation, we investigate the political environment that causes governments to choose policies that allow the informal economy to develop. We argue that the political environment affects the government’s incentive to invest in the efficiency of tax collection, and therefore the ability of the government to detect informal production. We show that political instability, social polarization along ethnic and religious lines, and an autocratic authority pattern are associated with a larger informal economy. The results suggest that efforts to reduce informal production should shift from an emphasis on the proximate causes to political reforms. Since polarization along ethnic and religious lines is structural, reforms should focus on reducing political instability and autocracy. However, the results imply that democratic reforms that change the authority pattern from autocracy to democracy can increase informal economic activity if it increases political instability.