Entry and Stay in the Informal Economy: Qualitative Findings from a Least Developed Country

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (02) ◽  
pp. 115-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gorah K. Abdallah ◽  
Emiel L. Eijdenberg
Keyword(s):  
Informal Economy ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Personal Narratives ◽  
Capital Requirements ◽  
Developed Country ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Formal Economy ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activities

This study explores the factors determining the entry and stay of entrepreneurs in the informal economy in a Least Developed Country (LDC): Tanzania. Qualitative data from a focus group with six experts, and individual interviews with two experts and 15 entrepreneurs from the informal economy, were analysed. The results show that (1) necessity motivations are important for the entry and stay of entrepreneurs, as well as (2) the unattractive factors of the formal economy (e.g. degree of excessive regulations regarding high taxes)/attractive factors of the informal economy (e.g. little procedures, low capital requirements) and (3) low levels of education possessed by entrepreneurs, emerged as essential. This study enriches the literature with personal narratives of entrepreneurial activities from the micro level. Therefore, many detailed factors are revealed of the lives of entrepreneurs and experts, dealing in one way or the other with the informal economy.

scholarly journals Tax Morale Depreciation And Entrepreneurship Practice Outside The Formal Economy Framework: which relation?: Exploratory Study In Sidi-AMMAR Algeria

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abderrahime Abdellaoui ◽  
Tarek DJEDDI
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Informal Economy ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Formal Institutions ◽  
Tax Morale ◽  
Formal Economy ◽  
The Asymmetry ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activities

This paper aims to explore the nature of the relationship between the tax morale of Algerian entrepreneurs and their practice of entrepreneurship outside the framework of the formal economy. Given the difficulty of identifying the community of the study accurately and the absence of its database, the researchers relied on non-random sampling - the purposive sample- because they allow the selection of sample members to serve the purposes of the research. Thus, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 22 micro-enterprise owners in Sidi Ameur city in the Wilaya of M'Sila. The study concluded that the asymmetry between formal institutions (the codified laws and regulations) and informal institutions (Community norms, values) in Algeria has caused a decline in the tax morale of entrepreneurs. This contradiction is due to the increase of corruption in the public sector coincided with the bureaucratic weight, as well as deterioration in the risk of detection and punishment as a result of the corruption of public sector employees. The added value of this research paper is mainly to highlight the importance of analysis based on institutional theory in explaining the phenomenon of the informal economy, in particular the clarification of the inverse relationship between tax morals and the volume of entrepreneurial activity practiced outside the framework of the formal economy. It has also contributed to providing a modern vision based on analysis of the phenomenon at several levels, rather than relying on traditional bilateral analysis (a formal economy and an informal economy). As for the recommendations, the study has produced a number of recommendations aimed at reducing the asymmetry between the formal institutions and the informal institutions, which will enhance the tax morale, which in turn will contribute to the integration of entrepreneurial activities outside the framework of the formal economy.

scholarly journals Health Services Use and Health Outcomes among Informal Economy Workers Compared with Formal Economy Workers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 3189
Author(s):  
Nisha Naicker ◽  
Frank Pega ◽  
David Rees ◽  
Spo Kgalamono ◽  
Tanusha Singh
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Informal Economy ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Health Services Use ◽  
Quality Of Evidence ◽  
Formal Economy ◽  
Relative Differences ◽  
Services Use

Background: There are approximately two billion workers in the informal economy globally. Compared to workers in the formal economy, these workers are often marginalised with minimal or no benefits from occupational health and safety regulations, labour laws, social protection and/or health care. Thus, informal economy workers may have higher occupational health risks compared to their formal counterparts. Our objective was to systematically review and meta-analyse evidence on relative differences (or inequalities) in health services use and health outcomes among informal economy workers, compared with formal economy workers. Methods: We searched PubMed and EMBASE in March 2020 for studies published in 1999–2020. The eligible population was informal economy workers. The comparator was formal economy workers. The eligible outcomes were general and occupational health services use, fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries, HIV, tuberculosis, musculoskeletal disorders, depression, noise-induced hearing loss and respiratory infections. Two authors independently screened records, extracted data, assessed risk of bias with RoB-SPEO, and assessed quality of evidence with GRADE. Inverse variance meta-analyses were conducted with random effects. Results: Twelve studies with 1,637,297 participants from seven countries in four WHO regions (Africa, Americas, Eastern Mediterranean and Western Pacific) were included. Compared with formal economy workers, informal economy workers were found to be less likely to use any health services (odds ratio 0.89, 95% confidence interval 0.85–0.94, four studies, 195,667 participants, I2 89%, low quality of evidence) and more likely to have depression (odds ratio 5.02, 95% confidence interval 2.72–9.27, three studies, 26,260 participants, I2 87%, low quality of evidence). We are very uncertain about the other outcomes (very-low quality of evidence). Conclusion: Informal economy workers may be less likely than formal economy workers to use any health services and more likely to have depression. The evidence is uncertain for relative differences in the other eligible outcomes. Further research is warranted to strengthen the current body of evidence and needed to improve population health and reduce health inequalities among workers.

scholarly journals Evaluating working conditions in the informal economy: Evidence from the 2015 European Working Conditions Survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin C Williams ◽  
Ioana Alexandra Horodnic
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Informal Economy ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Formal Economy ◽  
European Working ◽  
European Working Conditions Survey

Although it is widely held that working conditions in the informal economy are worse than in the formal economy, little evidence has been so far provided. The aim of this article is to fill this lacuna by comparing the working conditions of informal employees with formal employees using the 2015 European Working Conditions Survey. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analysis provides a nuanced and variegated appreciation of which working conditions are worse for informal employees, which are no different, and which are better for informal than formal employees. The article concludes by discussing the theoretical and policy implications.

scholarly journals A process for the development of a psychosocial educational programme to facilitate the reintegration of incarcerated women who had dumped babies and / or committed infanticide in Namibia

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 80
Author(s):  
Ndempavali Sumpi ◽  
Hans Justus Amukugo
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Correctional Facility ◽  
Incarcerated Women ◽  
Educational Programme ◽  
Situational Analysis ◽  
Phase 3 ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Analysis Phase ◽  
Experiences Of Women

The aim of this paper is to describe the steps/process used to develop a psychosocial educational programme to facilitate the reintegration of incarcerated women who had dumped babies and / or committed infanticide in Namibia. This process was done in four phases namely Phase 1, was carried out to explore and describe the lived experiences of women who had dumped and / or committed infanticide. The researcher used in-depth unstructured individual interviews for data collection and data was analysed by using Tech’s method of qualitative data analysis. Phase 2, focuses on the conceptualisation framework guided the development of a psychosocial educational programme that facilitated the reintegration process of women who had dumped and / or committed infanticide. The educational programme included the activities suggested in the survey list of Dickoff et al. (1968); namely, agent, recipient, context, dynamics, procedures, and terminus. Phase 3, focused on the development of a psychosocial educational programme to facilitate the reintegration process of women who had dumped their babies and / or committed infanticide. The survey list of Dickoff et al. (1968) was adopted as a reasoning map in the construction of the development of a psychosocial educational programme, as well as the findings of the situational analysis of this study. And Phase 4, focused on the implementation and evaluation of the psychosocial educational programme that was developed to facilitate the reintegration of incarcerated women who had dumped babies and / or committed infanticide. A three-day training workshop was held at the Oluno Correctional Facility to conduct the educational programme. The educational programme was evaluated in order to validate whether the programme interventions were likely to bring about the desired change among the participants.A process for the development of a psychosocial educational programme to facilitate the reintegration of incarcerated women who had dumped babies and / or committed infanticide in Namibia

Leading Sustainable CSR Efforts: A Case of Sneha Opportunity School by NLCIL

2021 ◽  
pp. 097468622110070
Author(s):  
R Vikraman ◽  
Shulagna Sarkar ◽  
K Vishnukumar ◽  
A Selvarasu
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Data ◽  
The Self ◽  
Responsible Leadership ◽  
Time Activity ◽  
Individual Interviews

CSR is not a new practice and has been existing since ages; yet the role of a leader in driving responsible and sustainable CSR efforts is crucial. CSR is not just one-time activity and holds a high responsibility in ensuring the self-sustenance of the effort. There are very few organisations which guides its CSR efforts being sustainable. NLC India limited is one such organisation which believes in sustainable CSR efforts. The article explains the role of responsible leadership in being the drive behind enabling need based sustainable CSR efforts. The article shares the case of Sneha Opportunity School (SOS) at Neyveli, which is successful in its effort with the visionary leaders exhibiting responsible leadership over the years. Qualitative data has been collected using individual interviews of various stakeholders of the CSR initiative of SOS. The qualitative data shares perspectives on responsible leadership and SOS operations. The article also presents a model of responsible leadership in organisations leading to sustainable CSR efforts.

Entrepreneurship in the Informal Economy: Why it Matters

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvain Bureau ◽  
Jacqueline Fendt
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Informal Economy ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Deprived Neighbourhoods ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activities

The informal economy is generating 10–20% of GDP in developed countries. It takes many forms and is difficult to measure, but has nevertheless a permanent and widely acknowledged characteristic: strong entrepreneurial dynamism. However, research seldom focuses on this aspect. This paper addresses this gap by offering a conceptual framework for entrepreneurial activities within the informal economy. The authors also discuss how crossing canonical entrepreneurship models and theories with atypical empirical contexts – such as, for instance, deprived neighbourhoods – can help consolidate existing evidence and/or, on the contrary, unveil myths and even generate new hypotheses and innovative and stimulating management methods.

The Informal Economy and Social Programs in Mexico: A Critique

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-145
Author(s):  
Tamar Diana Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Informal Economy ◽  
Social Protest ◽  
Cash Transfer ◽  
Social Programs ◽  
Transfer Program ◽  
Seguro Popular ◽  
Neoliberal Reforms ◽  
Formal Economy ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
Capital Humano

In the wake of neoliberal reforms that devastated the country, Mexico and the World Bank converged on providing at least two social programs in the guise of “humanitarian” capitalism. Progresa, also known as Oportunidades and more recently Prospera, involves a workfare-based cash transfer program aimed at enhancing the human capital of future generations. The program has been criticized for its exploitation of the work of mothers. Seguro Popular involves extending basic health care to those employed in the informal economy. Both, with all their weaknesses and exploitative aspects, serve the function of providing skills and enhanced health status to the subproletariat in the hope that a competitive formal economy will expand and employ them; they are also intended to mute social protest. A raíz de las reformas neoliberales que devastaron el país, México y el Banco Mundial acordaron la creación de por lo menos dos programas sociales disfrazados como capitalismo “humanitario.” Progresa, también conocido como Oportunidades y más recientemente Prospera, es un programa de asistencia de transferencia de efectivo dirigido a mejorar el capital humano de futuras generaciones, y ha sido criticado por explotar el trabajo materno. El Seguro Popular extiende servicios de atención de salud básica a los empleados en la economía informal. Ambos, con todas sus debilidades y características explotadoras, tienen por objeto mejorar las habilidades y estado de salud del sub-proletariado, con la esperanza de que se amplíe una economía competitiva formal que los emplee. También buscan silenciar las protestas sociales.

scholarly journals Qualitative Methods Used to Generate Questionnaire Items: A Systematic Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laetitia Ricci ◽  
Jean-Baptiste Lanfranchi ◽  
Fabienne Lemetayer ◽  
Christine Rotonda ◽  
Francis Guillemin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Item Generation ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Data Content ◽  
Collection Methods ◽  
Qualitative Data Collection

A systematic review of articles using qualitative methods to generate questionnaire items identified in MEDLINE and PsycINFO from 2000 to 2014 was carried out. Articles were analyzed for (a) year of publication and journal domain, (b) qualitative data collection methods, (c) method of data content analysis, (d) professional experts’ input in item generation, and (e) debriefing of the newly developed items. In total, 371 articles were included and results showed (a) an acceleration of published articles, (b) individual interviews and focus groups were common ways of generating items and no emergent approach was identified, (c) the content analysis was usually not described (43% of articles), (d) experts were involved in eliciting concepts in less than a third of articles, (e) 61% of articles involved a step of further submission of newly developed items to the population of interest. This review showed an insufficient reporting of qualitative methods used to generate new questionnaires despite previous recommendations.

A Study on Worker’s Perceptions of Psychological Capital on their Earnings

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 27-42
Author(s):  
Amrit Thapa
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Psychological Capital ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Worker's Perceptions ◽  
Meaningful Role

This study explores the perceptions of workers on the influence of psychological capital on their earnings using qualitative data analysis. Workers from diverse socio-economic groups, cultures and occupations in New York City were interviewed using both individual interviews as well as focused groups to find out their viewpoints on psychological capital and its impact on their earnings. The analysis of this paper suggests that workers perceive psychological capital to play a meaningful role in influencing their earnings. In particular, the results indicate that psychological capital workers perceive to be important for their earnings are self-confidence, motivation, positive attitude, ambition and perseverance.

A Study of the Apology Strategies Used by Iraqi EFL University Students

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raed Latif Ugla ◽  
Mohamad Jafre Zainol Abidin
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Method ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
New Classification ◽  
College And University ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Completion Task ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Pragmatic Strategies

This study was aimed at exploring apology strategies of English used by Iraqi EFL students, apology strategies in Iraqi Arabic and the pragmatic strategies of Iraqi EFL students in relation to the use of apology as a speech act. The data analyzed in this study were collected in Al-Yarmouk University College and University of Diyala. The study was mixed method in nature using a questionnaire and an interview adapted from previous studies. The quantitative data was obtained from fifty-five Iraqi EFL students using Discourse Completion Task Questionnaires (DCTQ) while the qualitative data obtained from individual interviews carried out with twelve Iraqi EFL students. The results were showed different kinds of apology strategies used by Iraqi EFL students. A new classification of apology strategies was provided in this study. Results of the study showed that Iraqi EFL students used a variation of apology strategies, they were well aware of how to use adequate apology forms to meet the requirements of specific situations and relationships, and they felt the need for explaining and avoiding interpretation of their response as an apology.

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