ABSTRACT
Economic informality2 in various and shifting forms is becoming global in scope in the context of processes of globalisation (see Chapter 1). Casualisation of work has become pronounced in many places, often in connection with corporate strategies of ‘flexible production’ (Castells and Portes, 1989; Cross and Morales, 2007). In countries of the Global South, the spread of neo-liberal policies has often resulted in a decline in formal work opportunities and large-scale retrenchments, both of which have pushed large numbers of people into self-employment in the informal economy (Hansen and Vaa, 2004; Bryceson, 2006). Increasingly exposed to the whims of international markets, large numbers of people making a living in the informal economy are experiencing a decline in incomes and conditions (Lourenço-Lindell, 2002). Many governments in the South have failed to put in place laws and policies to protect the basic rights of informal workers and to create opportunities for their political participation (Lindell, 2008a). Furthermore, many authorities continue to deny legal recognition to vulnerable groups in the informal economy and to criminalise their activities. Often portraying them as outlaws, public authorities in many places make use of harassment, raids and evictions to ‘discipline’ them, thus posing a tangible threat to their livelihoods (Brown, 2006; Lindell and Kamete, forthcoming).
