ABSTRACT
Microenterprise and the informal sector have acquired a certain prominence among alternatives to deal with the problem of unemployment and poverty in the Dominican Republic. This chapter examines the impact of organizations and programs that seek to promote the informal sector and deals with an analysis of alternative strategies to improve the levels of employment and income in this sector. It offers a brief conceptual outline that allows for different interpretations of the performance of the sector in the Dominican case. The chapter looks at the characteristics of small productive units in relation to promotional strategies. The basic objective is to identify alternative ways of improving the effectiveness of policy in raising employment and income level. The chapter also deals with a proposal for changing the policy that has so far been followed by both the public and private sectors. It analyzes the potential role of the state in a global promotional policy or strategy.
