The South African informal sector : creating jobs, reducing poverty /

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Imprint:Cape Town, South Africa : HSRC Press, 2018.
Description:xxii, 490 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
Language:English
Subject:
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11920389
Hidden Bibliographic Details
Other authors / contributors:Fourie, Frederick C. v. N., editor.
Skinner, Caroline, editor.
ISBN:9780796925343
0796925348
9780796925305
0796925305
Notes:Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:"Although South Africa's informal sector is small compared to other developing countries, it nevertheless provides livelihoods, employment and income for millions of workers and business owners. Almost half of informal-sector workers work in firms with employees. The annual entry of new enterprises is quite high, as is the number of informal enterprises that grow their employment. There is no shortage of entrepreneurship and desire to grow. However, obstacles and constraints cause hardship and failure, pointing to the need for well-designed policies to enable and support the sector, rather than suppress it. The same goes for formalisation. Recognising the informal sector as an integral part of the economy, rather than ignoring it, is a crucial first step towards instituting a 'smart' policy approach. The South African Informal Sector is strongly evidence- and data-driven, with substantial quantitative contributions combined with qualitative findings--suitable for an era of increased pressure for evidence-based policy-making--and utilises several disciplinary perspectives."--
Description
Summary:The outcome of a four-year research project, this collaborative work draws on both quantitative and qualitative evidence to demonstrate the contributions of South Africa's informal sector. The informal sector provides a livelihood for some 2.5 million South Africans--one in every six South Africans who work. Informal enterprises with employees provide about 850,000 paid jobs, almost twice the direct employment in the mining sector. And these numbers continue to grow, despite obstacles and constraints. It is clear, argue the authors, that there is a need for well-designed policies to support the sector, rather than suppress it--with recognizing it as an integral part of the economy a crucial first step. <br> <br> PARTIAL CONTENTS:<br> Foreword--Ravi Kanbur. Analyzing the Informal Sector in South Africa--F. Fourie. The South African Informal Sector in International Comparative Perspective--M. Chen. The Informal Sector in Sub-Saharan Africa--K. Grabrucker et al. THE NATIONAL LEVEL: A QUANTITATIVE PICTURE. The Size and Structure of the South African Informal Sector 2008-2014: A Labour-Force Analysis--M. Rogan and C. Skinner. Informal-Sector Employment: An Enterprise Analysis Using the SESE Survey--F. Fourie. Entry into and Exit from Informal Enterprise Ownership--N. Lloyd and M. Leibbrandt. Job-Seeker Entry into the Two-Tiered Informal Sector--N. Makaluza and R. Burger. The Informal Sector, Economic Growth, and the Business Cycle: Integrating the Sector into Macroeconomic Analysis--P. Burger and F. Fourie. Informal-Sector Employment and Poverty Reduction--P. Cichello and M. Rogan. URBAN TOWNSHIPS AND RURAL AREAS. Informal Micro Enterprises in a Township Context: A Spatial Analysis--A. Charman and L. Petersen. Prospects for Stimulating Township Economies: A Case Study of Enterprises in Two Midrand Townships--E. Rakabe. Limiting Opportunities in the Informal Sector: The Impact of the Structure of the Economy--K. Philip. Informal-Sector Employment in the Rural Non-Farm Economy--D. Neves and A. du Toit. Employment in Informal-Sector Agriculture--B. Cousins. POLICY ISSUES. Evolving Policy Paradigms--F. Fourie. Policy and Legislation: Repression, Omission, and Ambiguity--C. Skinner. Enabling the Forgotten Sector--F. Fourie.<br> <br>
Physical Description:xxii, 490 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:9780796925343
0796925348
9780796925305
0796925305