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While debates about taxation and social protection in relation to the informal economy are widespread, there is little empirical evidence to support them. Using new and representative data on informal workers in Accra, Ghana, this paper contributes novel evidence on the extent to which informal...
This paper seeks to critically analyze the legal framework of urban planning in India and the challenges and opportunities it presents informal workers. It examines how planning laws, processes, instruments, and practices in Delhi and Bangalore impact informal livelihoods and the scope they present...
This Working Paper reflects the findings from the longitudinal study of nearly 2,000 informal workers in 11 cities around the world. Surveys and in-depth interviews were conducted with domestic workers, home-based workers, street vendors and market traders, and waste pickers in mid-2020 and then...
This paper presents findings from a study on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on informal workers in 11 cities across 5 regions of the world (Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America and Eastern Europe). A unique feature of the study is that it examines the degree – and pathways – of impact on...
This paper explores the impact of local government policies and urban plans on home-based workers in India and elsewhere. It presents recent national data on the size and composition of home-based work in developing countries as well as findings from two recent field studies of urban home-based...
Mike Rogan reviews how informal workers are taxed, why there is growing interest in taxing them, and whether they should be included in the tax net.
This paper interrogates the potential of contemporary international law instruments to realize decent work for homeworkers. It grounds the discussion with reference to data on homeworkers in Bulgaria. The paper argues that the complex labour relations of the global economy necessitates a multi...
The New Urban Agenda envisages cities and human settlements that fulfil their social function. But what is a city’s “social function”? And how can the urban environment and its resources be re-imagined in such a way that cities and human settlements are able to perform their “social function”? This...
This Working Paper examines what collective negotiation (bargaining) looks like and what it means for informal worker organizations and their members. It fills a gap in the research about how the informal self-employed access opportunities to bargain with entities that have some power over the...
This Working Paper responds to current debates on the future of social protection as employment relationships become increasingly non-existent, blurred or hidden. Drawing on WIEGO’s work, the paper argues that a large and growing informal economy should not be used to justify a complete delinking of...
Videos / Slideshows / Audio
Millions of women work long hours, in dangerous conditions, for little pay. They are fighting for change, with the help of ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. Watch this video to learn how.
Workers Education/Organizing Materials
This manual helps street vendors learn more about the regulations that govern public space and how to defend the right to work in public space. It describes successful actions taken by street vendor organizations. And it offers information to help you organize and negotiate with local government.
WIEGO Working Papers
Mike Rogan reviews how informal workers are taxed, why there is growing interest in taxing them, and whether they should be included in the tax net.