What comes to mind when you hear the phrase ‘informal economy’? Unlicensed street vendors? Unregulated taxi drivers? Sweat-shop textile factories? Poorly paid, exploited domestic workers? Informal employment is often seen in negative stereotypes – yet according to the OECD, “the long-standing negative connotation of informality is not always grounded in evidence and often masks the subtler reality.”
So, prepare to have your stereotypes busted wide open. Researchers from Agence française de développement (AFD)...