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EBookClubs

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Book Entrepreneurship in the Informal Economy

Download or read book Entrepreneurship in the Informal Economy written by Mai Thi Thanh Thai and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although entrepreneurship in the informal economy occurs outside state regulatory systems, informal commercial activities account for an estimated 30% of economic activity around the world. Informal entrepreneurship goes unmonitored despite the fact that it significantly contributes to poverty reduction and economic development. As a result, the informal sector is open to unethical practices including corruption, worker exploitation, and natural environment abuse to name just a few. In the media, debates have formed around whether informal entrepreneurship should be assisted or legitimized. Hence, a deep understanding of the phenomenon is vitally important. This book is the first on the market to offer models and approaches to informal entrepreneurship as well as to its prospects for economic development. Offering an in-depth examination of informal entrepreneurship in many different countries, it reveals the motivations for engaging in entrepreneurship in the informal economy, characteristics of informal entrepreneurship, and informal entrepreneurs' response to ethical issues. This volume illustrates the relationship between formal and informal economies and the conditions for the benefits of informal entrepreneurship to outweigh its disadvantages. And finally, it gives recommendations about when and how the informal economy can be formalized, which sectors should be formalized, and which ones can remain informal. This book offers much-needed guidance for stakeholders involved in economic development programs and scholars and entrepreneurs interested in the field of informal entrepreneurship as it is developing around the globe.

Book Meeting Basic Learning Needs in the Informal Sector

Download or read book Meeting Basic Learning Needs in the Informal Sector written by M. Singh and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2005-09-28 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In advancing the vision of adult learning articulated at the International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA V) held in Hamburg in 1997, the UNESCO Institute for Education has been conducting studies on the different areas and dimensions of ‘Adult Learning and the Changing World of Work’. One question that has been central to this area is: What constitutes adult learning for those who traditionally secure their survival in the informal economy, as well as for those school leavers and dropouts who are forced to work in this sector? In answering this question, the informal sector or popular economy may be defined in various ways, but there is an increasing recognition that it is a phenomenon that has come to stay and that government policies aimed at economic and social development, including national education and training policies and programmes, should target those who work in this sector. In particular, basic education and continuing education and training are being seen as key to empowering people and as crucial to strategies for reducing poverty. Moreover, there is a growing awareness that education is a human right of fundamental siginificance to promoting decent work and humane living conditions. It is in view of such considerations that UIE and the ILO planned to conduct studies in South Asia (Nepal, Bangladesh, India) to develop an understanding of the quality provision of education and skills development in and for the informal sector.

Book Informal Firms in Mozambique

Download or read book Informal Firms in Mozambique written by Gemechu Aga and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In most countries in Africa, the informal sector is large and exhibits low levels of productivity compared to the formal economy: informal firms are typically small, inefficient, and run by entrepreneurs with low levels of education. This paper presents novel representative firm-level data collected on informal firms in the three largest cities of Mozambique, as well as data of microenterprises, formally registered businesses with less than 5 employees, the segment of the private sector that compares best to informal firms. Compared to formal microenterprises, informal firms sell about 14 times less, make 17 times lower profits and are 2-3 times less productive. Almost two-thirds (61 percent) of these performance gaps can be explained by differences in firm characteristics: informal firms are smaller and have limited skills, adapt fewer good business practices, use less capital and production inputs and are less likely to have access to finance. The rest of the productivity gap is explained by differential returns. Despite this "duality" between formality and informality, there is nevertheless a small but significant group of informal enterprises (7.6 percent of informal firms, representing 10.6 percent of employment in the informal sector) that in their characteristics and productivity levels are similar to formal microenterprises. Policies should take this heterogeneity into account.

Book Microenterprises in Developing Countries

Download or read book Microenterprises in Developing Countries written by Committee of Donor Agencies for Small Enterprise Development and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Microenterprises - very small businesses consisting of a single self-employed person, a family, or at the most a few employees - are the main source of livelihood of up to half of the population of most developing countries. In the past this vital sector, often referred to also as the informal sector, has received inadequate attention, but increasingly multilateral and bilateral agencies and non-governmental organizations are searching for ways to help improve the effectiveness of these microenterprise operations and to enable them to make a greater contribution to the development of the third world and to the general efforts to enhance incomes and raise living standards.This collection of sixteen papers by experts with considerable experience in the field emanates from the International Conference on Microenterprises held in Washington DC, USA, sponsored by the Committee of Donor Agencies for Small Enterprise Development on 6-9 June 1988. It is organized according to the major issues relating to the subject: the structure of the microenterprise sector, government policies towards microenterprises, informal credit markets, financial and technical services, institutional aspects and a review of the experience of assistance projects. This publication should be of great interest and value to all concerned in increasing assistance to the development of microenterprises in developing countries.

Book Informal Microenterprise in the North End Community

Download or read book Informal Microenterprise in the North End Community written by Tara Kumar and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The North End community in Springfield, Massachusetts is one of many communities across the United States that is struggling with how to improve its economic health. Traditional economic indicators, which emphasize the weaknesses of low-income communities, fail to capture the importance of informal economic activity in the development of these neighborhoods, particularly the North End. This thesis explores the nature of informal economic activity, specifically informal microenterprise, present within the North End community as a means for understanding its economic reality and supporting its continued development. The study considers how Springfield's existing microenterprise service system can be modified to maximize the role of informal businesses in the economic development of the North End. Data collected from North End business owners suggest that there are a number of dynamic yet informal enterprises operating within the community. Informal businesses do play an economic role in the community, and many are positioned to increase the impacts they have on the North End with goals of growth and formalization. However, these businesses also have specific needs that require assistance. Because the microenterprise development system in Springfield fails to respond to these needs, recommendations are offered at the conclusion of this thesis for how to more effectively support informal economic activity in the North End.

Book The Long Shadow of Informality

Download or read book The Long Shadow of Informality written by Franziska Ohnsorge and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2022-02-09 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A large percentage of workers and firms operate in the informal economy, outside the line of sight of governments in emerging market and developing economies. This may hold back the recovery in these economies from the deep recessions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic--unless governments adopt a broad set of policies to address the challenges of widespread informality. This study is the first comprehensive analysis of the extent of informality and its implications for a durable economic recovery and for long-term development. It finds that pervasive informality is associated with significantly weaker economic outcomes--including lower government resources to combat recessions, lower per capita incomes, greater poverty, less financial development, and weaker investment and productivity.

Book Education and Training for the Informal Sector

Download or read book Education and Training for the Informal Sector written by Simon McGrath and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Training for Work in the Informal Micro Enterprise Sector

Download or read book Training for Work in the Informal Micro Enterprise Sector written by Hans Christiaan Haan and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2006-10-04 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Sub-Sahara Africa, the sector of informal micro-enterprises (IMEs) is already employing a large share of the labour force in both urban and rural areas. This study reviews the ways in which the owners and workers of IMEs have acquired their vocational and management skills. It reviews the contributions of all the different training providers, including public sector training institutes, private sector training providers, and training centres run by NGOs and other non-profit organizations. The study finds that informal apprenticeship training is by far the most common source of various skills - in some countries it is likely to be responsible for 80-90% of all ongoing training efforts. Informal apprenticeship training presents a number of important advantages. At the same time it has a number of limitations. The study concludes that there is a major challenge to improve the transfer of relevant skills to IME operators, both through pre-employment training and skills upgrading. In view of the scope of the challenge to provide hundreds of thousands IME owners and workers, as well as large numbers of out of school youths with relevant practical and management skills, it suggests to build upon the strengths of the existing practices of informal apprenticeship training and to remedy its weaknesses by involving professional training providers in upgrading its training organization and delivery, quality and efficiency, and final training outcomes. It reviews the results of a number of innovative interventions in different African countries that are working in this direction. Finally, the study suggests that there is an interesting potential in ‘business-embedded training’ provided by private companies as part of their regular business operations.

Book Support for Microenterprises

Download or read book Support for Microenterprises written by Maryke Dessing and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1990 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Microenterprises play an important role in sub Saharan Africa. They account for a sizeable portion of the economy, by providing employment and a means of livelihood for much of the nonagricultural population. This paper is the result of a survey of the literature and extensive discussions with practicioners and its primary focus is a direct approach in support of microenterprises. Perhaps the simplest objective to pursue is access to credit. The main lesson from experimentation in this field is that the poor are bankable and and can be served relatively inexpensively, provided nontraditional lending methods are utilized (e.g. group lending). Technical assistance and support services can also be provided to help first-time entrepreneurs set up their own businesses, to assist microenterprises in their daily business, or to help them graduate to a larger size. The task of assisting microenterprises requires small, flexible, and responsive organizations, with sufficient autonomy to make ad hoc decisions, yet with adequate coordination at the national level. Such organizations include PVOs, NGOs, cooperatives, banks, business associations, churches and women's groups. The report recommends that capacity building be incorporated as a specific objective of microenterprise support programs and should be budgeted for. Shifting the focus of assistance from beneficiaries to support institutions is an effective way of reaching the most marginal groups.

Book Improving Skills Development in the Informal Sector

Download or read book Improving Skills Development in the Informal Sector written by Arvil V. Adams and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2013-07-18 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book uses household surveys in five countries of Sub-Saharan Africa to describe employment off the farm in the region s growing informal sector and assesses how different forms of education and training, including apprenticeships, influence choices in employment and earnings.

Book Strategic Entrepreneurship

Download or read book Strategic Entrepreneurship written by Nezameddin Faghih and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-12-10 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The result of the application of strategic management philosophy to the nexus of entrepreneurship, innovation, and economy, strategic entrepreneurship fosters sustainable development and competitiveness. This volume provides an introduction to the theories of strategic entrepreneurship and accounts of their real-world applications in the entrepreneurial sector. The book is divided into three parts. Chapters in Part I discuss strategic entrepreneurship dynamics and mechanisms. Chapters in Part II focus on strategic entrepreneurship concepts and theories. Chapters in Part III provide global examples of strategic entrepreneurship practices in action. Presenting a view of strategic entrepreneurship across diverse sectors and industries, this edited volume will be attractive to researchers and students interested in management, entrepreneurship, economics, public administration, and public policy, as well as corporate strategists, managers, and policymakers looking to integrate the principles of strategic entrepreneurship.

Book Enterprise and Economic Development in Africa

Download or read book Enterprise and Economic Development in Africa written by Dina M. Nziku and published by Emerald Group Publishing. This book was released on 2021-06-11 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presenting a topical analysis of the challenges and achievements of enterprise, Enterprise and Economic Development in Africa examines contributions to economic development on the continent, as well as exploring implications for policy dimensions.

Book Policy Programme Options for Urban Poverty Reduction

Download or read book Policy Programme Options for Urban Poverty Reduction written by Franz Vanderschueren and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1996-01-01 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper reviews the specific actions which municipalities and city governments may take in contributing to urban poverty reduction. It highlights examples of issues, options, and constraints which urban government have to address in grappling with poverty and focuses on municipalities and other city-level government entities as a critical institutional level on intervention, particularly in addressing issues relating to service delivery. (Adapté du résumé des auteurs).

Book The Exclusionary Politics of Digital Financial Inclusion

Download or read book The Exclusionary Politics of Digital Financial Inclusion written by Serena Natile and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-01-20 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focusing on Kenya’s path-breaking mobile money project M-Pesa, this book examines and critiques the narratives and institutions of digital financial inclusion as a development strategy for gender equality, arguing for a politics of redistribution to guide future digital financial inclusion projects. One of the most-discussed digital financial inclusion projects, M-Pesa facilitates the transfer of money and access to formal financial services via the mobile phone infrastructure and has grown at a phenomenal rate since its launch in 2007 to reach about 80 per cent of the Kenyan population. Through a socio-legal enquiry drawing on feminist political economy, law and development scholarship and postcolonial feminist debate, this book unravels the narratives and institutional arrangements that frame M-Pesa’s success while interrogating the relationship between digital financial inclusion and gender equality in development discourse. Natile argues that M-Pesa is premised on and regulated according to a logic of opportunity rather than a politics of redistribution, favouring the expansion of the mobile money market in preference to contributing to substantive gender equality via a redistribution of the revenue and funding deriving from its development. This book will be of particular interest to scholars and students in Global Political Economy, Socio-Legal Studies, Gender Studies, Law & Development, Finance and International Relations.