Alternative Forms of Working-Class Organization and the Mobilization of Informal-Sector Workers in Brazil in the Era of Neoliberalism

2007 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvador A.M. Sandoval
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Informal Sector ◽  
Labor Movement ◽  
Labor Union ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Collective Actions ◽  
Formal Sector ◽  
Rural Workers ◽  
Landless Workers Movement ◽  
Economic Stabilization

AbstractThis article examines recent changes in working-class collective actions. First it explains which were the main causes for the decline of traditional labor union militancy resulting from effects of economic stabilization, neoliberalization, and globalization on those key segments of labor movement that accounted for the backbone of union militancy as in the case of the automotive workers, bank workers, steelworkers, and civil servants of the Brazilian economy during the decade of the 1990s. Secondly, the article analyzes the emergence of alternative forms of worker contention among the urban informal sector and the rural workers through the landless workers movement, which also have been affected by the processes of neoliberalization and globalization, but unlike the workers in the formal sector, these continue to contend for worker entitlements and introduce new forms of worker organization different from the conventional union organizations upon which is based the Brazilian labor movement.

Rural Social Movements in Brazil in the Second Half of the 20th Century: From the Peasant Leagues to the Landless Workers’ Movement

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonilde Servolo de Medeiros
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Labor Union ◽  
Small Farmers ◽  
Rural Workers ◽  
Rubber Tappers ◽  
Union Activists ◽  
Landless Rural Workers Movement ◽  
Landless Workers Movement ◽  
Rural Social Movements

The struggle for land pervades Brazilian history, but it was not until the 1950s that various groups coalesced, thus forging the basis of a national peasant movement. Prior to the military dictatorship, small farmers associations and Peasant Leagues, irrespective of their strategies, had placed agrarian reform in the public spotlight. Since then, the issue has become the driving force for rural social movements. The 1964 coup violently suppressed these organizations, persecuting peasant and rural labor union activists. At the same time, it created legal mechanisms to make land expropriation viable while giving incentives for massive technological modernization in rural areas. It also encouraged the occupation of frontier zones by corporations. Such initiatives aggravated the land issue in the country in areas of recent and historical occupation rather than alleviating it. By the late 1970s, new actors emerged, putting land disputes back onto the political arena: landless workers, rubber tappers, small farmers, squatters, and the indigenous peoples. New organizations emerged, sometimes in opposition to rural workers’ unions, which performed a relevant role during the dictatorship while at other times working from within them. One of these emerging actors was the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais sem Terra, MST), which stood out nationally and internationally due to its innovative approach in terms of strategies such as land occupations and encampments, and in the late 1990s by building networks with other organizations worldwide, as is the case with the Via Campesina. In parallel to that, family farmers also became politicized as they demanded public policies through union organizations to survive in a rural environment controlled by large entrepreneurs.

scholarly journals Informal Employment in a Growing and Globalizing Low-Income Country

2015 ◽  
Vol 105 (5) ◽  
pp. 545-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian McCaig ◽  
Nina Pavcnik
Keyword(s):  
Informal Sector ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Income Country ◽  
Informal Employment ◽  
Formal Sector ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Rural Workers ◽  
Low Income Country ◽  
Urban Workers ◽  
Younger Workers

We document several facts about workforce transitions from the informal to the formal sector in Vietnam, a fast growing, industrializing, and low-income country. First, younger workers, particularly migrants, are more likely to work in the formal sector and stay there permanently. Second, the decline in the aggregate share of informal employment occurs through changes between and within birth cohorts. Third, younger, educated, male, and urban workers are more likely to switch to the formal sector than other workers initially in the informal sector. Poorly educated, older, female, rural workers face little prospect of formalization. Fourth, formalization coincides with occupational upgrading.

POLÍTICAS DE ESCALA E A CONFORMAÇÃO DE ESTRATÉGIAS-REDE DAS AÇÕES COLETIVAS NO ESPAÇO SISALEIRO DA BAHIA

GEOgraphia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (41) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Agripino Souza Coelho Neto
Keyword(s):  
Political Action ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Spatial Behavior ◽  
Collective Actions ◽  
Collective Behaviors ◽  
Rural Workers ◽  
Scale Levels ◽  
Scale Network ◽  
Comme Point

Resumo: O presente texto pretende analisar o papel das ações coletivas (associações, cooperativas e sindicatos de agricultores) no acionamento e na ativação das escalas geográficas para o desenvolvimento de suas atividades. O estudo foi realizado no Espaço Sisaleiro da Bahia (Brasil), onde um conjunto significativo de associações e cooperativas de agricultores e sindicatos de trabalhadores rurais tem se organizado em torno das escalas espaciais para viabilizar sua ação político-institucional e econômico-produtiva. A ação desses coletivos organizados em rede tem permitido a conformação e o fortalecimento de novas escalas de ação política, como no caso da criação do conselho territorial para viabilização da implantação de políticas de governo. Cooperativas, associações e sindicatos se apoiam nas escalas para compor organizações em diferentes níveis escalares (escala local, escala regional, escala do estado federado e escala nacional), buscando fortalecer seus propósitos e ampliar seu poder de barganha e influência. Analisando o comportamento espacial dessas variadas modalidades de ações coletivas, é possível considerar que elas desenvolvem políticas de escala, ou seja, a escala passa a significar muito mais que uma categoria de análise, mas se torna uma categoria da prática social e política. Nesse sentido, parte-se do pressuposto de que os grupos humanos produzem e tornam efetivas suas próprias escalas visando a alcançar suas metas e organizar seus comportamentos coletivos. Palavras-chave: Escala. Rede. Cooperativismo. Associativismo. Sindicalismo. Espaço Sisaleiro da Bahia. SCALE POLICIES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF NETWORK STRATEGIES OF COLLECTIVE ACTIONS IN THE SISAL REGION OF BAHIA (BRAZIL)Abstract: This paper aims to analyze the role of collective initiatives of associations, cooperatives and farmers’ unions in the mobilization and activation of geographical scales for the development of their activities. The study was conducted in the Sisal Region of Bahia (Brazil), where a significant number of farmers associations and cooperatives and rural workers’ unions have been organizing their actions around spatial scales to enable their political-institutional and economic-productive influence. The gathering and action of these organized groups in a network have allowed the establishment and strengthening of new scales of political action, as seem in the case of the creation of a territorial council to facilitate the implementation of government policies. Cooperatives, associations, and unions rely on scales to form organizations at different scale levels (local, regional, federal and national scales), seeking to strengthen their performance and increase their bargaining power and influence. After analyzing the spatial behavior of these various forms of collective actions, it’s reasonable to say that they develop scale policies, which means the scale becomes more than a category of analysis, but also a category of social and political practice. In this sense, it’s assumed that human groups produce and utilize the scales in order to reach their goals and organize their own collective behaviors. Keywords: Scale. Network. Cooperativism. Associativism. Syndicalism. Sisal Region of Bahia. POLITIQUES D’ÉCHELLE ET FORMATION DES STRATÉGIES-RÉSEAU DES ACTIONS COLLECTIVES DANS LA RÉGION DU SISAL DE L’ÉTAT DE BAHIA Resumé: Cet article analyse le rôle des actions collectives (associations, coopératives et syndicats d’agriculteurs) dans la prise en compte et l’utilisation des échelles géographiques pour le développement de leurs activités. L’étude a été menée dans la région du sisal à Bahia (Brésil), où un ensemble important d’associations et de coopératives d’agriculteurs et de syndicats de travailleurs ruraux se sont organisés autour d’échelles spatiales pour que puisse être mise en place leur action politique et institutionnelle, économique et productive. L’action de ces groupements organisés en réseaux a permis la conformation et le renforcement de nouvelles échelles d’action politique, comme lors de la création du conseil territorial, pour permettre la mise en œuvre des politiques gouvernementales. Les coopératives, les associations et les syndicats prennent les échelles comme point de départ pour former des organisations à différents niveaux scalaires (échelle locale, échelle régionale, échelle fédérée et échelle nationale), dans le but de renforcer leurs objectifs et d’accroître leur pouvoir de négociation et d’influence. Si nous analysons le comportement spatial de ces diverses formes d’action collective il est possible de considérer qu’ils développent des politiques d’échelle, à savoir l’échelle vient signifier bien plus qu’une catégorie d’analyse, puisqu’elle devient une catégorie de la pratique sociale et politique. En ce sens, on suppose que les groupes humains produisent et rendent efficaces leurs propres échelles pour atteindre leurs objectifs et organiser leurs comportements collectifs. Mots-clés: Échelle. Réseau. Coopérativisme. Associations. Syndicalisme. Région du sisal de l’État de Bahia.

Economic Reforms in Jamaica

1996 ◽  
Vol 38 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 97-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Danielson
Keyword(s):  
Exchange Rate ◽  
Informal Sector ◽  
Budget Deficit ◽  
Economic Reforms ◽  
The Political ◽  
Rural Poor ◽  
Slow Response ◽  
Formal Sector ◽  
Paper Briefly ◽  
The Past

AbstractThis paper briefly discusses the economic reforms that have taken place in Jamaica for the past 15 years and argues that the reforms, at least so far, are mixed, particularly with regard to the elimination of poverty. The basic problems are (1) a slow response of exports to large, frequent adjustments in the exchange rate, which prohibits low-wage labor, in the informal sector, from being absorbed into the formal sector; and (2) the large budget deficit, with the associated demands for large cuts in expenditures, which primarily affects the rural poor. It is suggested that the principal reason that reforms have been slow is because of the political price to be paid for unpopular measures in a competitive democracy

scholarly journals Informality and Economic Growth in Nigeria: 1980-2014

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Yelwa ◽  
A. J. Adam
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Informal Sector ◽  
Informal Economy ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Formal Sector ◽  
Female Population ◽  
Demand Deposit ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Adf Test ◽  
The Relationship

<p><em>The paper examines the impact of informal sector activities on economic growth in Nigeria between 1980-2014. The contributions of informal sector activities to the growth of Nigerian economy cannot be over emphasized. It is the source of livelihood to the majority of poor, unskilled, socially marginalized and female population and is the vital means of survival for the people in the country lacking proper safety nets and unemployment insurance especially those lacking skills from formal sector jobs. The relationship between informality and economic growth is not clear because the sector is not regulated by the law also there is no concrete evidence that this sector enhances growth because the sector’s contributions to growth is not measured. The use of endogenous growth model becomes relevant in this study. The theory emphasizes the role of production on the long-run via a higher rate of technological innovation. The variables that were tested are official economy nominal GDP, informal economy nominal GDP, currency in circulation, demand deposit, ratio of currency in circulation to demand deposit, narrow money, informal economy as percentage of official economy. ADF test was conducted to establish that the data series of all variables are stationary t levels. Having established the stationarity test we also, conducted causality test of the response of official economy nominal GDP to informal economy nominal GDP. In conclusion, the impact of informal sector economy on economic growth in Nigeria is quiet commendable. Even though, the relationship between informality and economic growth is not straight. The paper recommended thus, the need for the government to integrate the activities of the informal economy into formal sector and size of the sector is measured and regulated because their roles are commendable. As it will improve tax collection and enhance fiscal policy.</em></p>

scholarly journals Is formal employment sector hereditary? Determinants of formal/informal sector choice for Mexican male workers

2019 ◽  
pp. 91-121
Author(s):  
Adelaido García-Andrés ◽  
Ernesto Aguayo-Téllez ◽  
Jose N. Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Positive Selection ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Informal Sector ◽  
Formal Sector ◽  
Strong Connection ◽  
Employment Sector ◽  
Formal Employment ◽  
Selection For ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Employment Choices

Understanding the relationship between parents’ and sons’ formal employment is essential for promoting social mobility in Mexico. Using the 2011 Survey of Social Mobility in Mexico (EMOVI), this paper contributes to the literature by addressing the intergenerational mobility of employment. Findings show a strong connection between intergenerational employment choices and suggest a positive selection for workers. Individuals with parents who worked in the formal sector are more likely to be enrolled in formal work and vice versa. Also, after controlling for parent’s employment sector, schooling remains as a significant vehicle to transit to the formal sector.

scholarly journals Does Education and Experience Matter in the Distribution of Wages in Nepal? A Quantile Regression Approach

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Pujan Adhikari ◽  
Kishor KC ◽  
Siddha Raj Bhatta
Keyword(s):  
Quantile Regression ◽  
Informal Sector ◽  
Wage Structure ◽  
Maximum Effect ◽  
Formal Sector ◽  
Market Returns ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
Wage Returns ◽  
Return To Schooling ◽  
Experience Effect

 Labor market returns depend on the level of education as well as experience of the labors. Though education is argued to be the key determinant of wage rate, other factors such as the sector of employment, gender of the employee, marital status and work industry also matter. This paper investigates the returns from years of schooling and experience by examining the wage structure in formal, informal and agriculture sectors of Nepal. The Mincerion wage equation and quantile regression technique has been used to analyze such impact by utilizing the recent labor force survey data of Nepal. Our results show that wage returns are positively associated with schooling in all the three sectors. However, return to experience has negative association in case of agriculture sector. Furthermore, return to schooling has higher impact at higher quantile along with the distribution of wages in formal sector and informal sector. The maximum effect of education is 4 percent at 0.90 quantile in formal sector. An additional year of experience has high impact at lower-wage group in case of informal and formal sector. The effect varies from 9.2 percent at 0.1 quantile and 4.9 percent at 0.9 quantile in formal sector. The experience effect is higher at median (4.06 percent) in case of informal sector.

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