The Americas

Is Informal Sector Work an Alternative to Workfare Benefits? The Case of Pre-program Expansion and Economic CrisisReview of Development Economics

This article is included in a special issue of the journal which includes 11 articles focused on informality. 

Informal Economy Monitoring Study Sector Report: Street Vendors

This report synthesizes qualitative and quantitative data from the first (2012) round of IEMS fieldwork in the street vendor sector in five...

Sumário Executivo: Relatório do Setor Estudo de Monitoramento de Economia Informal: Catadores

Informal Cities and the Contestation of Public Space: The Case of Bogotá’s Street Vendors, 1988—2003Urban Studies

The resurgence of informal street trading poses serious challenges for local officials responsible for the maintenance of public space. This...

World at work: Brazilian ragpickers

License To Sell: The Effect Of Business Registration Reform On Entrepreneurial Activity In Mexico

This paper estimates the economic effects of a recent reform that simplified business entry regulation in Mexico. The reform was introduced...

On Castles and Commerce: Zoning Law and the Home-Business Dilemma

Discusses how zoning laws can prevent or enable the development of home-based businesses in the United States.

Informal Governance and Organizational Success: The Effects of Non-Compliance among Lima’s Street Vending Organizations

God is My Alarm Clock: A Brazilian Waste Picker’s Story

The story of an informal worker, Mrs. Maria Brás, who was a tireless force in the struggle of waste pickers in Brazil to overcome persecution...

Recycling in Belo Horizonte, Brazil – An Overview of Inclusive Programming

Brazil is one of the world’s most progressive countries in integrating waste pickers in solid waste management systems, and Belo Horizonte...