Toward a Better Deal for Informal Workers: A Paradigm Shift Post-COVID

In mid-2020, Routledge Press published The Informal Economy Revisited: Examining the Past, Envisioning the Future. This volume, edited by Martha Chen and Françoise Carré, contains the reflections of three dozen renowned scholars from ten countries—across Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America and Europe—and several disciplines—anthropology, economics, labour law, political science, social policy, sociology, urban planning and design. As a whole, these reflections capture recent rethinking about the informal economy and call for a paradigm shift in theory and research as well as policies, laws and regulations on the informal economy. The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 on informal workers and their livelihoods makes the call for this paradigm shift and a ‘better deal” for informal workers all the more urgent.

More details on the WIEGO event page here

PROGRAMME

• The co-editors, Marty Chen and Françoise Carré, will introduce the book and speakers. 
• Kunal Sen and Martín Abregú will reflect on the future of informal work given shifting policy environments since the pandemic crisis.
• Laura Alfers, Gautam Bhan, Kate Meagher and Caroline Skinner will reflect on the future of informal work based on their contributions to the volume and their insights about informal workers’ livelihoods through the COVID crisis and about recovery plans of governments. 
• Kunal Sen will provide discussant comments. 
• Sally Roever, International Coordinator of WIEGO, will conclude with reflections on re-envisioning the informal economy and informal labour markets.