Title:	African Studies Quarterly
Authors:	Ilda Lindell Adélékè Adéèko Andrew Lepp Lindell, Ilda
Keywords:	African Studies Quarterly
Issue Date:	2010
Publisher:	Center for African Studies, University of Florida
Description:	: Recent decades have witnessed deepening processes of informalization and casualization as growing numbers of Africans rely on economic activities outside state regulation, something widely evident in urban areas. Converging multiple dynamics have resulted in new floods of entrants into the informal economy, including a great expansion in self-employment. Juxtaposed to this are the more long-standing informal activities through which popular groups have coped with the lack of formal work opportunities and basic services. Paralleling these trends is, in some contexts, a resurgence of attempts to bring segments of the informal economy under some form of state regulation. This may be interpreted as selective drives towards some kind of formalization, a development that has also gained impetus in international development discourse. These developments confirm that the boundary between what is and is not to be regulated by the state (or between what is and is not considered legitimate economic activity) is a shifting one and constitutes a contested process that involves social struggles and a variety of actors, encompassing both powerful interests and popular forces, including informal and casual workers themselves. This special issue’s contributors address the politics involved in and ensuing from processes of informalization/formalization in particular contexts and discuss some of the resulting contradictions, tensions, and conflicts.
URI:	http://10.6.20.12:80/handle/123456789/40533
Appears in Collections:	African Studies

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