scholarly journals Steering the transition from informal to formal service provision: labor platforms in emerging-market countries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarissa E Weber ◽  
Mark Okraku ◽  
Johanna Mair ◽  
Indre Maurer

AbstractServices that are especially suited to being offered via online labor platforms, such as cleaning, driving and tutoring, are frequently performed in an informal way, especially in emerging-market countries. The informal economy is thus important for recruiting workers for labor platforms. Platform use, however, requires formal service provision, which workers in the informal economy often resist. Thus, labor platforms have to promote workers’ transition from informal to formal service provision. While recent studies have hinted at labor platforms’ fostering of formal economic activity, we know little about how such intermediation unfolds. We use a process lens and comprehensive qualitative data on labor platforms in Panama and Mexico to study how labor platforms steer workers to formal service provision. Detailing the interactive process of workers transitioning to formal service provision as triggered by labor platforms, we add to platform research and literature on intermediation between informal and formal economic activity.

Policy Papers ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 (46) ◽  
Author(s):  

Although the global recovery continues to move ahead, it remains fragile and uneven, with continued high unemployment. Many countries are emerging from the crisis with high debt burdens, low growth, and still fragile financial sectors. At the same time, economic activity in many emerging market countries has picked up, attracting large capital inflows that challenge economic policy. Important steps have been taken to make financial sectors safer around the world, but the unfinished agenda is still substantial, particularly for cross-border finance and macro-prudential regulation. All this suggests serious vulnerabilities and challenges remain, requiring continued policy cooperation and collaboration.


2008 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 304-305
Author(s):  
Henna Ahsan

The book discusses the different experiences in Asia and Latin America, while covering the closely related areas under the purview of Emerging Market Economies (EMEs). The first chapter, “Introduction and Overview” has written by Harinder S. Kohli gives an excellent review of the existing literature on the subject. The book discusses six related topics which include nine papers presented at the Emerging Markets Forum Meeting held in Jakarta, Indonesia, in September 2006. The book highlights the main factors of growth and development in Emerging Market Economies (EMEs) now closely related with international capital flows, development of financial market, the countries’ ability to integrate successfully with the global economy through trade and investment and their ability to forge public-private partnerships including infrastructure development. Chapter 2, of the book is an article titled “Global Imbalances, Oil Revenues and Capital Flows to Emerging Market Countries” by Jack Boorman explains the favourable global environment and its impact on capital flows to Emerging Market Countries (EMCs). The EMCs got advantage from this benign global economic environment, such as high economic growth rate, increase in exports, better national balance sheet and increase in foreign exchange reserves, but due to high oil prices the situation has been changed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 097491012110043
Author(s):  
Liu Qingjie

This article examines the emerging market countries on their national strategic resources—farmland, fresh water, and fossil energy—which are analyzed from the perspectives of distribution, status of development, and existing issues. The study draws the following conclusions: Emerging market countries have abundant farmland resources yet inadequate per capita resources; because of extensive operation on farmland, grain yield is low, which threatens food security; emerging market countries are saliently short in water resources per capita and face imbalances and low productivity over water use, and their agriculture practices are water-intensive; emerging market countries are growing as global centers for production, consumption, and trade of fossil energy, with a long, coal-dominated consumption structure that has a growing momentum, which subjects them to a greater pressure to reduce carbon emissions; and emerging market countries are inefficient in the use of energy, though they have huge potential for energy conservation and consumption reduction.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Caroline Doyle

ABSTRACT In the last ten years, Medellín, Colombia has undergone significant socioeconomic improvements and a reduction in homicides. By drawing from qualitative data collected in Medellín, this article shows how, despite these improvements, residents in the marginalized neighborhoods maintain a perception that the state is unable or unwilling to provide them with services, such as employment and order or social control. Criminal gangs in these neighborhoods appear to rely on, and even exploit, the weakness of the state, as they are able to get citizens to perceive them as more reliable and legitimate than the state. This article argues that it is important for Latin American policymakers to promote citizen engagement in the design and implementation of policies to reduce current levels of violence.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e20-e20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemary Leonard ◽  
Debbie Horsfall ◽  
John Rosenberg ◽  
Kerrie Noonan

ObjectiveTo identify the position of formal service providers in the networks of those providing end-of-life care in the home from the perspective of the informal network.MethodsUsing third-generation social network analysis, this study examined the nature and strength of relationships of informal caring networks with formal service providers through individual carer interviews, focus groups of caring networks and outer network interviews.ResultsService providers were usually highly valued for providing services, equipment, pain management and personalised care for the dying person plus support and advice to the principal carer about both caring tasks and negotiating the health system. However, formal service providers were positioned as marginal in the caring network. Analysis of the relative density of relationships within networks showed that whereas relationships among family and friends had similar density, relationships between service providers and family or friends were significantly lower.ConclusionThe results supported the Circles of Care model and mirror the perspective of formal service providers identified in previous research. The research raises questions about how formal and informal networks might be better integrated to increase their effectiveness for supporting in-home care.


2021 ◽  
pp. 097491012110046
Author(s):  
Kunling Zhang

This article analyzes the structural transformation in 30 emerging market countries (E30) on the dimensions of industry, trade, and urbanization. It finds that first, in the agricultural sector, E30 have contributed greatly to the increase of the global agricultural productivity and the transfer of labor force from the agricultural sector to industry or the service sector. However, these countries still feature a high percentage of agricultural employment, which means there is vast room for shifting the agricultural labor force. Second, in the industrial sector, E30 have made remarkable contributions to the world’s industrial development but have also displayed a trend of premature “deindustrialization.” Third, the service sector has picked up speed and gradually turned into a new driver of economic development in E30. Against this backdrop, E30 face the major challenge of how to cope with the premature deindustrialization and smoothly shift the economic growth engine from the industrial sector to the service sector. Fourth, E30 have become an important force in the world trade, with their trade structure switching from simple, primary, low-value-added goods to sophisticated, high-grade, and high-value-added goods and services. However, some emerging market countries are more susceptible to the impacts of the anti-globalization trend because of their high reliance on foreign trade and improper trade structure. Therefore, how to diversify the economy and enhance its economic resilience holds the key to the sustainable economic development of E30. Fifth, E30 have contributed greatly to world urbanization. As urbanization relies more on the service sector than on the industrial sector, it is vital to properly strike a balance between industrialization and urbanization, and between industrialization and service sector development.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document