Informal Economy Centre Stage: New Structures of Employment

`The aim of this edited volume is to improve the measurement of the informal economy in the Indian contect and to make the concerns of its workers central to mainstream economic analysis.... Overall the book makes in important contribution in its effort to bring the informal economy into mainstream economic theory and policy.... [It] provides detailed empirical work on the informal economy in India and takes the first step in achieving the goal of bridging theory and empiricism through a focus on measurement' - Development and Change

This book has been motivated by the recognition that informal employment is an integral part of the present-day economic system. In an era where economic growth is the 'mantra', a huge workforce of 'unproductive' workers was looked upon with dismay. This collection of papers, based on research conducted by SEWA, NCAER, and GIDR, seeks to answer the question - can we quantify the contribution of informal workers to the economy?

The contributors, both researchers and activists, argue that the methodology of data collection as it exists is inadequate to capture its actual size and contribution to macroeconomic aggregates. Although the editors clearly state that the research is of a preliminary nature, it is significant that the model developed in this book has led to the formation of an international collaboration that works closely with international agencies, such as the International Labour Organisation and the World Bank, to develop an understanding of workers in the informal sector and formulate policies for bringing them into the mainstream.