ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the interlinkages of the formal-informal delineation with class, workers’ power, and collective organization of an informalized workforce. The main argument is that conceptions of the informal economy, and processes of formalization and informalization, are interwoven with the structural and associational power of workers. I illustrate, first, how the formal-informal divide is embedded into class distinctions and solidarity, reflecting workers’ position in labour market hierarchies as well as the social position of their customers (in the case of street vendors) or employers (in the case of domestic workers). Second, labour legislation, irrespective of its actual enforcement, influences the prospects of collective organization. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how changing political discourses across different governance levels create openings for new alliances and shifts in the formal-informal delineation.
