Jochen Prantl
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199287680
- eISBN:
- 9780191603723
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199287686.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter develops various propositions on the dynamics between informal groups of states and the UN Security Council by applying the analytical framework of exit, voice, and loyalty. It argues ...
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This chapter develops various propositions on the dynamics between informal groups of states and the UN Security Council by applying the analytical framework of exit, voice, and loyalty. It argues that informal mechanisms may enhance SC governance if they are able to strike a balance between inclusiveness, efficiency, informality, transparency, and accountability.Less
This chapter develops various propositions on the dynamics between informal groups of states and the UN Security Council by applying the analytical framework of exit, voice, and loyalty. It argues that informal mechanisms may enhance SC governance if they are able to strike a balance between inclusiveness, efficiency, informality, transparency, and accountability.
Alice Sindzingre
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199204762
- eISBN:
- 9780191603860
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199204764.003.0004
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The concept of informality has encompassed an increasing number of meanings; referred to highly heterogeneous phenomena and measurement methods; and has been explored by development microeconomics ...
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The concept of informality has encompassed an increasing number of meanings; referred to highly heterogeneous phenomena and measurement methods; and has been explored by development microeconomics (informal contracts) and institutional economics (informal institutions). This plurality of meanings and instruments calls into question the concept’s validity. This paper synthesizes the critical issues within both a development economics and an institutional economics perspective. First to be examined are the conceptual problems inherent in the concept of informality, especially its inconsistencies and the heterogeneity of the phenomena and measurement. The concept is then analysed according to an institutionalist perspective. A more relevant distinction than the formal-informal one is proposed, which relies on an alternative theory of institutions and different distinctions, particularly between the forms, contents, and meanings of institutions.Less
The concept of informality has encompassed an increasing number of meanings; referred to highly heterogeneous phenomena and measurement methods; and has been explored by development microeconomics (informal contracts) and institutional economics (informal institutions). This plurality of meanings and instruments calls into question the concept’s validity. This paper synthesizes the critical issues within both a development economics and an institutional economics perspective. First to be examined are the conceptual problems inherent in the concept of informality, especially its inconsistencies and the heterogeneity of the phenomena and measurement. The concept is then analysed according to an institutionalist perspective. A more relevant distinction than the formal-informal one is proposed, which relies on an alternative theory of institutions and different distinctions, particularly between the forms, contents, and meanings of institutions.
Paul W. Posner, Viviana Patroni, and Jean François Mayer
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781683400455
- eISBN:
- 9781683400677
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9781683400455.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Latin American Studies
Labor Politics in Latin America assesses the capacity of working-class organizations to represent and advance working people’s demands in the era of globalization and neoliberalism, in which capital ...
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Labor Politics in Latin America assesses the capacity of working-class organizations to represent and advance working people’s demands in the era of globalization and neoliberalism, in which capital has reasserted its power on a global scale. The book’s premise is that the longer-term sustainability of development strategies for the region is largely connected to the capacity of working-class organizations to secure a fairer distribution of the gains from growth through labor legislation reform. Its analysis suggests the need to take into consideration the wider structural changes that reconfigured the political maps of the countries examined (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Venezuela), for example, globalization and its impact on democratic transformation in the region, operating within longer time frames. It is precisely this wider structural analysis and historical narrative that allows the book’s case studies to show that, even in the uncovering of substantial variation, what becomes evident in the study of Latin America over the last three decades is the overwhelming reality that for most workers in the region, labor reform—or the lack thereof —in essence increased precarity and informality and weakened labor movements.Less
Labor Politics in Latin America assesses the capacity of working-class organizations to represent and advance working people’s demands in the era of globalization and neoliberalism, in which capital has reasserted its power on a global scale. The book’s premise is that the longer-term sustainability of development strategies for the region is largely connected to the capacity of working-class organizations to secure a fairer distribution of the gains from growth through labor legislation reform. Its analysis suggests the need to take into consideration the wider structural changes that reconfigured the political maps of the countries examined (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Venezuela), for example, globalization and its impact on democratic transformation in the region, operating within longer time frames. It is precisely this wider structural analysis and historical narrative that allows the book’s case studies to show that, even in the uncovering of substantial variation, what becomes evident in the study of Latin America over the last three decades is the overwhelming reality that for most workers in the region, labor reform—or the lack thereof —in essence increased precarity and informality and weakened labor movements.
A. J. VAN DER WALT
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195391572
- eISBN:
- 9780199775804
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195391572.003.004
- Subject:
- Law, Environmental and Energy Law
This chapter argues that property in modern western legal culture tends to hinge on the logic of centrality. According to this logic, lawyers, owners, and users of property accept that property ...
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This chapter argues that property in modern western legal culture tends to hinge on the logic of centrality. According to this logic, lawyers, owners, and users of property accept that property institutions naturally assume a central place in society, law, and legal theory. The logic of centrality relies on unreflective intellectual habits and practices that inhibit much-needed social and legal transformation in that they condemn certain persons to the margins of society and of the law, either by design or by default. The chapter surveys efforts to undermine or escape from the hold that centrality logic continues to exercise over property thinking.Less
This chapter argues that property in modern western legal culture tends to hinge on the logic of centrality. According to this logic, lawyers, owners, and users of property accept that property institutions naturally assume a central place in society, law, and legal theory. The logic of centrality relies on unreflective intellectual habits and practices that inhibit much-needed social and legal transformation in that they condemn certain persons to the margins of society and of the law, either by design or by default. The chapter surveys efforts to undermine or escape from the hold that centrality logic continues to exercise over property thinking.
Adam D. Reich
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691160405
- eISBN:
- 9781400850372
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691160405.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Health, Illness, and Medicine
This chapter examines informality and collegiality at PubliCare Hospital. In part, informality and collegiality at PubliCare seemed to result from organizational inertia—the same people had been ...
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This chapter examines informality and collegiality at PubliCare Hospital. In part, informality and collegiality at PubliCare seemed to result from organizational inertia—the same people had been working in the same ways for decades. However, this environment also seemed to reflect the care that the hospital delivered. Just as practitioners were forced to rely on informal ties and reciprocal obligations to take care of their patients, the same ties and obligations found their way into practitioners' relationships with one another. As one doctor put it, “You're in it together, and there's a camaraderie [at PubliCare].” The chapter considers the possible factors that contributed to PubliCare's egalitarianism, as well as the shared responsibility between its doctors, nurses, and managers. It also looks at Westside Health Corporation's alliance with Sierra Medical Foundation, its enlistment of entrepreneurs, and its decision to close PubliCare.Less
This chapter examines informality and collegiality at PubliCare Hospital. In part, informality and collegiality at PubliCare seemed to result from organizational inertia—the same people had been working in the same ways for decades. However, this environment also seemed to reflect the care that the hospital delivered. Just as practitioners were forced to rely on informal ties and reciprocal obligations to take care of their patients, the same ties and obligations found their way into practitioners' relationships with one another. As one doctor put it, “You're in it together, and there's a camaraderie [at PubliCare].” The chapter considers the possible factors that contributed to PubliCare's egalitarianism, as well as the shared responsibility between its doctors, nurses, and managers. It also looks at Westside Health Corporation's alliance with Sierra Medical Foundation, its enlistment of entrepreneurs, and its decision to close PubliCare.
Manish Chalana (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9789888208333
- eISBN:
- 9789888313471
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208333.001.0001
- Subject:
- Architecture, Architectural Theory and Criticism
Seemingly messy and chaotic, the landscapes and urban life of cities in Asia possess an order and hierarchy which often challenge understanding and appreciation. With a cross-disciplinary group of ...
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Seemingly messy and chaotic, the landscapes and urban life of cities in Asia possess an order and hierarchy which often challenge understanding and appreciation. With a cross-disciplinary group of authors, Messy Urbanism: Understanding the “Other” Cities of Asia examines a range of cases in Asia to explore the social and institutional politics of urban formality and the contexts in which this “messiness” emerges or is constructed. The book brings a distinct perspective to the broader patterns of informal urban orders and processes as well as their interplay with formalized systems and mechanisms. It also raises questions about the production of cities, cityscapes, and citizenship. Messy Urbanism will appeal to professionals, students, and scholars in the fields of urban studies, architecture, landscape architecture, planning and policy, as well as Asian studies.Less
Seemingly messy and chaotic, the landscapes and urban life of cities in Asia possess an order and hierarchy which often challenge understanding and appreciation. With a cross-disciplinary group of authors, Messy Urbanism: Understanding the “Other” Cities of Asia examines a range of cases in Asia to explore the social and institutional politics of urban formality and the contexts in which this “messiness” emerges or is constructed. The book brings a distinct perspective to the broader patterns of informal urban orders and processes as well as their interplay with formalized systems and mechanisms. It also raises questions about the production of cities, cityscapes, and citizenship. Messy Urbanism will appeal to professionals, students, and scholars in the fields of urban studies, architecture, landscape architecture, planning and policy, as well as Asian studies.
Edward C Page and Bill Jenkins
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199280414
- eISBN:
- 9780191700118
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280414.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, UK Politics
The difference between middle-ranking policy bureaucrats and politicians is distinguished in this chapter which presents the different aspects of decision-making in policy initiatives. It also takes ...
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The difference between middle-ranking policy bureaucrats and politicians is distinguished in this chapter which presents the different aspects of decision-making in policy initiatives. It also takes an example from the informality of Whitehall departments where hierarchy is not an issue and this informality is linked to middle-ranking officials and ministers, thus providing insights to the role of bureaucratic superiors and the complexity of policy work. Policy officials tend to not have direct and clear instructions from ministers and are only offered advice from senior officials rather than commands and injunctions. This is where administrative discretion is found: where formal rules and relations are silent and officials are allowed to exercise their own preferences.Less
The difference between middle-ranking policy bureaucrats and politicians is distinguished in this chapter which presents the different aspects of decision-making in policy initiatives. It also takes an example from the informality of Whitehall departments where hierarchy is not an issue and this informality is linked to middle-ranking officials and ministers, thus providing insights to the role of bureaucratic superiors and the complexity of policy work. Policy officials tend to not have direct and clear instructions from ministers and are only offered advice from senior officials rather than commands and injunctions. This is where administrative discretion is found: where formal rules and relations are silent and officials are allowed to exercise their own preferences.
Mona Abaza
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781526145116
- eISBN:
- 9781526152114
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7765/9781526145123.00010
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Middle Eastern Cultural Anthropology
This chapter narrates the story when the elevator collapsed finally while carrying people. It also narrates the process of replacing it and the numerous problems related to rubbish collecting, the ...
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This chapter narrates the story when the elevator collapsed finally while carrying people. It also narrates the process of replacing it and the numerous problems related to rubbish collecting, the stairwells, communal water, and electricity bills in the building.Less
This chapter narrates the story when the elevator collapsed finally while carrying people. It also narrates the process of replacing it and the numerous problems related to rubbish collecting, the stairwells, communal water, and electricity bills in the building.
Victoria Kelley
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780719099229
- eISBN:
- 9781526146786
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7765/9781526131706
- Subject:
- History, Economic History
Cheap Street tells the history of London’s street markets and of the people who bought and sold there. From the 1850s anything that could be bought in a shop in London could also be bought in the ...
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Cheap Street tells the history of London’s street markets and of the people who bought and sold there. From the 1850s anything that could be bought in a shop in London could also be bought in the street markets, which were the butcher, baker, greengrocer, provision merchant, haberdasher, tailor and furnisher of the working-class city. They sat uncomfortably on the edge of the law, barely tolerated by authorities that did not quite know whether to admire them for their efficient circulation of goods, or to despise them for their unregulated and ‘low’ character. They were the first recourse of immigrants looking to earn a living, and of privileged observers seeking a voyeuristic glimpse of street life. London’s street markets have frequently been overlooked, viewed as anomalous amongst the sophisticated consumer institutions of the modern city, the department stores and West-End shops. Cheap Street shows how the street markets, as an emanation of the informal economy that flourishes in the interstices of urban life, adapted nimbly to urban growth and contributed to consumer modernity, and how in doing so, they propagated myths about what it meant to live in London and be a Londoner. The book analyses the street markets through their legal and economic informality, material culture, sensory affects, and performative character, using varied documentary and visual evidence. It reshapes the interpretation of London’s urban geographies and consumer cultures, offering new insights into London’s history.Less
Cheap Street tells the history of London’s street markets and of the people who bought and sold there. From the 1850s anything that could be bought in a shop in London could also be bought in the street markets, which were the butcher, baker, greengrocer, provision merchant, haberdasher, tailor and furnisher of the working-class city. They sat uncomfortably on the edge of the law, barely tolerated by authorities that did not quite know whether to admire them for their efficient circulation of goods, or to despise them for their unregulated and ‘low’ character. They were the first recourse of immigrants looking to earn a living, and of privileged observers seeking a voyeuristic glimpse of street life. London’s street markets have frequently been overlooked, viewed as anomalous amongst the sophisticated consumer institutions of the modern city, the department stores and West-End shops. Cheap Street shows how the street markets, as an emanation of the informal economy that flourishes in the interstices of urban life, adapted nimbly to urban growth and contributed to consumer modernity, and how in doing so, they propagated myths about what it meant to live in London and be a Londoner. The book analyses the street markets through their legal and economic informality, material culture, sensory affects, and performative character, using varied documentary and visual evidence. It reshapes the interpretation of London’s urban geographies and consumer cultures, offering new insights into London’s history.
Sugata Marjit and Saibal Kar
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198071495
- eISBN:
- 9780199081257
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198071495.003.0012
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter summarizes the results of the volume and discusses relevant issues and areas for further research. Once viewed as a precipitate of formal activities, the informal sector has gradually ...
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This chapter summarizes the results of the volume and discusses relevant issues and areas for further research. Once viewed as a precipitate of formal activities, the informal sector has gradually expanded in as many forms as imaginable in a complex economy. Yet it has received less than its due emphasis in appropriate contexts essentially because it predominantly remained a feature of underdevelopment. It emphasizes the need for more research in order to comprehend how formal institutional support may be extended to informal enterprises for inclusive development.Less
This chapter summarizes the results of the volume and discusses relevant issues and areas for further research. Once viewed as a precipitate of formal activities, the informal sector has gradually expanded in as many forms as imaginable in a complex economy. Yet it has received less than its due emphasis in appropriate contexts essentially because it predominantly remained a feature of underdevelopment. It emphasizes the need for more research in order to comprehend how formal institutional support may be extended to informal enterprises for inclusive development.
Sugata Marjit and Saibal Kar
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198071495
- eISBN:
- 9780199081257
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198071495.003.0002
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter examines the political economy aspects of the survival and performance of the informal sector. It develops a political support model and an interlinked reforms-bribery model to show that ...
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This chapter examines the political economy aspects of the survival and performance of the informal sector. It develops a political support model and an interlinked reforms-bribery model to show that the level of ‘informality’ can, on the one hand, be the outcome of a conscious choice of society and, on the other, may behave unexpectedly in the presence of corruption in the system. In such societies where income levels in the informal sector depend significantly on the level of governance adopted by the state, the government chooses lower levels of governance and tax rates. As poverty increases in these economies, similar choices are manifested by state authorities. Introduction of the informal sector in such models plays a pivotal role in challenging the prediction of conventional political economy models where more poverty and inequality triggers a choice of higher tax rates at the political equilibrium.Less
This chapter examines the political economy aspects of the survival and performance of the informal sector. It develops a political support model and an interlinked reforms-bribery model to show that the level of ‘informality’ can, on the one hand, be the outcome of a conscious choice of society and, on the other, may behave unexpectedly in the presence of corruption in the system. In such societies where income levels in the informal sector depend significantly on the level of governance adopted by the state, the government chooses lower levels of governance and tax rates. As poverty increases in these economies, similar choices are manifested by state authorities. Introduction of the informal sector in such models plays a pivotal role in challenging the prediction of conventional political economy models where more poverty and inequality triggers a choice of higher tax rates at the political equilibrium.
Hugh Collins
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199258017
- eISBN:
- 9780191717857
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199258017.003.0007
- Subject:
- Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law
Contract lawyers perform two principal tasks: first, to help plan a transaction, and second, to participate in dispute settlement. The planning role forms the larger part of their work. This chapter ...
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Contract lawyers perform two principal tasks: first, to help plan a transaction, and second, to participate in dispute settlement. The planning role forms the larger part of their work. This chapter begins by considering the significance of this planning role to the practice of creating and performing contracts. It then examines the difficulties encountered by lawyers in devising appropriate plans for business relations. The major difficulty concerns the inevitable incompleteness of contractual planning.Less
Contract lawyers perform two principal tasks: first, to help plan a transaction, and second, to participate in dispute settlement. The planning role forms the larger part of their work. This chapter begins by considering the significance of this planning role to the practice of creating and performing contracts. It then examines the difficulties encountered by lawyers in devising appropriate plans for business relations. The major difficulty concerns the inevitable incompleteness of contractual planning.
Laurence Broers
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781474450522
- eISBN:
- 9781474476546
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474450522.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter examines the much-debated question of conflict and democratization. It argues that over its first quarter-century the Armenian-Azerbaijani rivalry was sustained by the interactions of ...
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This chapter examines the much-debated question of conflict and democratization. It argues that over its first quarter-century the Armenian-Azerbaijani rivalry was sustained by the interactions of two hybrid regimes, in which authoritarian leaders were secure enough to secure power but not to enforce unpopular compromise. It then examines the roles of informal power structures and the persistent insecurity generated by prolonged militarised competition. It argues that while the causal relationship between regime type and rivalry is complex, over the long-term insecurity has provided important resources to authoritarian regimes ‘demobilizing’ constituencies for reform and democratic change. The chapter acknowledges revolutionary changes in Armenia in 2018, while highlighting the capacity of enduring rivalries to outlast democratic openings and remain stable across mixed-regime dyads.Less
This chapter examines the much-debated question of conflict and democratization. It argues that over its first quarter-century the Armenian-Azerbaijani rivalry was sustained by the interactions of two hybrid regimes, in which authoritarian leaders were secure enough to secure power but not to enforce unpopular compromise. It then examines the roles of informal power structures and the persistent insecurity generated by prolonged militarised competition. It argues that while the causal relationship between regime type and rivalry is complex, over the long-term insecurity has provided important resources to authoritarian regimes ‘demobilizing’ constituencies for reform and democratic change. The chapter acknowledges revolutionary changes in Armenia in 2018, while highlighting the capacity of enduring rivalries to outlast democratic openings and remain stable across mixed-regime dyads.
Kamala Sankaran
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199693610
- eISBN:
- 9780191729744
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199693610.003.0015
- Subject:
- Law, Employment Law, Philosophy of Law
The challenge of legislating for the informal economy affords us a unique opportunity to look beyond traditional labour law and capture forms of work and activity that currently fall through the ...
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The challenge of legislating for the informal economy affords us a unique opportunity to look beyond traditional labour law and capture forms of work and activity that currently fall through the cracks of labour law. It also allows us to focus on the goals of labour law in ensuring fair outcomes through addressing issues of unpaid work vulnerability. The creation of broad, inclusive legal categories and mechanisms can help capture the work arrangements in the informal economy. Social protection (as much as trade unions and collective bargaining) becomes a central vehicle through which labour law’s ‘transformative’ capacity can create a level playing field. This chapter examines the possibilities that such an approach opens up for the idea of labour law.Less
The challenge of legislating for the informal economy affords us a unique opportunity to look beyond traditional labour law and capture forms of work and activity that currently fall through the cracks of labour law. It also allows us to focus on the goals of labour law in ensuring fair outcomes through addressing issues of unpaid work vulnerability. The creation of broad, inclusive legal categories and mechanisms can help capture the work arrangements in the informal economy. Social protection (as much as trade unions and collective bargaining) becomes a central vehicle through which labour law’s ‘transformative’ capacity can create a level playing field. This chapter examines the possibilities that such an approach opens up for the idea of labour law.
Saumya Chakrabarti
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- June 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780199466061
- eISBN:
- 9780199086818
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199466061.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This book questions the projected processes of inclusive growth and structural transformation in India. Deviating from the usual practice, it engages with the received positions of both the orthodox ...
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This book questions the projected processes of inclusive growth and structural transformation in India. Deviating from the usual practice, it engages with the received positions of both the orthodox and heterodox discourses using a variety of methods of analyses together. It formulates its critique from the perspective of the vast non-agricultural informal sector. It shows that despite a consistently high growth rate of the economy driven by the formal/modern/capitalistic sectors, most of the informality goes on existing (and even spreading) without substantial improvement in its basic economic conditions. Only a fraction of this informal sector population is capable of reaping the benefits of formal sector growth, with a much larger part constantly reproducing itself at an abysmal level of living. Instead of a much-advocated formal–informal symbiosis, the book explicates the inherent conflicts over and above the projected complementarities. The complexities—arising out of these formal-informal conflicts and complementarities—are sustained/managed through interactions by the capital and the state vis-à-vis the informality, interactions being influenced/conditioned by several socio-political–cultural processes and discourses as well. Thus, the capitalistic formality negotiates with a mostly non-capitalistic informality—with or without the interventions of the state, civil society and other institutions (such as NGOs and academia)—and thereby, the so-called transition is compromised, and a fractured/distorted structure of capitalism is an obvious outcome.Less
This book questions the projected processes of inclusive growth and structural transformation in India. Deviating from the usual practice, it engages with the received positions of both the orthodox and heterodox discourses using a variety of methods of analyses together. It formulates its critique from the perspective of the vast non-agricultural informal sector. It shows that despite a consistently high growth rate of the economy driven by the formal/modern/capitalistic sectors, most of the informality goes on existing (and even spreading) without substantial improvement in its basic economic conditions. Only a fraction of this informal sector population is capable of reaping the benefits of formal sector growth, with a much larger part constantly reproducing itself at an abysmal level of living. Instead of a much-advocated formal–informal symbiosis, the book explicates the inherent conflicts over and above the projected complementarities. The complexities—arising out of these formal-informal conflicts and complementarities—are sustained/managed through interactions by the capital and the state vis-à-vis the informality, interactions being influenced/conditioned by several socio-political–cultural processes and discourses as well. Thus, the capitalistic formality negotiates with a mostly non-capitalistic informality—with or without the interventions of the state, civil society and other institutions (such as NGOs and academia)—and thereby, the so-called transition is compromised, and a fractured/distorted structure of capitalism is an obvious outcome.
Amy Hanser
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780262036573
- eISBN:
- 9780262341554
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262036573.003.0007
- Subject:
- Architecture, Architectural History
This chapter examines the contrast between street vending and city regulatory responses in Vancouver, Canada during two time periods—the 1970s and the 2010s. The comparison of “hippy” vending in the ...
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This chapter examines the contrast between street vending and city regulatory responses in Vancouver, Canada during two time periods—the 1970s and the 2010s. The comparison of “hippy” vending in the 1970s and “hip” food carts and trucks four decades later illustrates the contradictory impulses that shape regulation of commercial activity on city streets. First, there is a process of “formalization” that seeks to tame the informality and messiness of street vending through new rules, standards and regulations. But by the 2010s, a second, contradictory, impulse appears: an embrace of informality reflecting new ideas about “vital” city streets and identifying street vending, in the form of food trucks and carts, as “hip.” But the apparent embrace of the informal has unfolded through highly formalized procedures, and the vitality associated with vending in Vancouver is acceptable precisely because it has been (re)introduced in a highly formalized, regulated form.Less
This chapter examines the contrast between street vending and city regulatory responses in Vancouver, Canada during two time periods—the 1970s and the 2010s. The comparison of “hippy” vending in the 1970s and “hip” food carts and trucks four decades later illustrates the contradictory impulses that shape regulation of commercial activity on city streets. First, there is a process of “formalization” that seeks to tame the informality and messiness of street vending through new rules, standards and regulations. But by the 2010s, a second, contradictory, impulse appears: an embrace of informality reflecting new ideas about “vital” city streets and identifying street vending, in the form of food trucks and carts, as “hip.” But the apparent embrace of the informal has unfolded through highly formalized procedures, and the vitality associated with vending in Vancouver is acceptable precisely because it has been (re)introduced in a highly formalized, regulated form.
Charles B. Roger
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- February 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190947965
- eISBN:
- 9780190947996
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190947965.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics, Political Economy
This book explores the phenomenon of informal international organizations. These bodies are involved in governing many of the most important issues the world currently faces, and differ significantly ...
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This book explores the phenomenon of informal international organizations. These bodies are involved in governing many of the most important issues the world currently faces, and differ significantly from the highly legalized, formal organizations the world has traditionally relied on. But despite their evident importance, they remain poorly understood. This book develops a new approach to thinking about these puzzling institutions, presents new data revealing their extraordinary growth over time, and develops a novel theory about why states are creating them. The theory explains how states form preferences over the informality of international organization and how legal designs get chosen through often contentious bargaining processes. This theory of institutional design then informs a more dynamic account of the rise of informality. This account explains how major shifts occurring in the domestic political arenas of powerful states—especially growing polarization and the rise of the regulatory state—have been projected outward and reshaped the legal foundations of global governance. The book systematically tests this theory, quantitatively and qualitatively, and presents detailed accounts of the forces behind some of the most important institutions in the global economy. It concludes with an analysis of the effectiveness of informal organizations, finding that many are likely to be less capable of addressing the complex challenges the world presently confronts.Less
This book explores the phenomenon of informal international organizations. These bodies are involved in governing many of the most important issues the world currently faces, and differ significantly from the highly legalized, formal organizations the world has traditionally relied on. But despite their evident importance, they remain poorly understood. This book develops a new approach to thinking about these puzzling institutions, presents new data revealing their extraordinary growth over time, and develops a novel theory about why states are creating them. The theory explains how states form preferences over the informality of international organization and how legal designs get chosen through often contentious bargaining processes. This theory of institutional design then informs a more dynamic account of the rise of informality. This account explains how major shifts occurring in the domestic political arenas of powerful states—especially growing polarization and the rise of the regulatory state—have been projected outward and reshaped the legal foundations of global governance. The book systematically tests this theory, quantitatively and qualitatively, and presents detailed accounts of the forces behind some of the most important institutions in the global economy. It concludes with an analysis of the effectiveness of informal organizations, finding that many are likely to be less capable of addressing the complex challenges the world presently confronts.
Manish Chalana and Susmita Rishi
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9789888208333
- eISBN:
- 9789888313471
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208333.003.0009
- Subject:
- Architecture, Architectural Theory and Criticism
Most Indian cities have large pockets of informal settlements that urban planners, policy makers and the middle classes see as disorderly and in need of formalization. This formalization-focused ...
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Most Indian cities have large pockets of informal settlements that urban planners, policy makers and the middle classes see as disorderly and in need of formalization. This formalization-focused perspective, on the one hand, undervalues the existing, unique patterns of urban development that have evolved in previous centuries and which continue to serve the residents who live and work there. On the other hand, this perspective instills great faith in modernist housing alternatives that have had limited success worldwide. This chapter focuses on Kathputli Colony—a settlement of traditional artists, street performers and other working classes—in Delhi that has been slated for demolition and redevelopment since 2007. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in the form of oral interviews, participant and field observation and field reconnaissance, the work presents four vignettes of homes and clusters to demonstrate the uniqueness of these self- and incrementally-built spaces, particularly the connection between spatial ordering and sociocultural and economic practices of the residents. The authors argue that Kathputli Colony’s apparent “disorder” has in fact multiple layers of ordering and the planned modernist resettlement alternative would be highly disruptive to the traditional ways of living and livelihoods of the residents.Less
Most Indian cities have large pockets of informal settlements that urban planners, policy makers and the middle classes see as disorderly and in need of formalization. This formalization-focused perspective, on the one hand, undervalues the existing, unique patterns of urban development that have evolved in previous centuries and which continue to serve the residents who live and work there. On the other hand, this perspective instills great faith in modernist housing alternatives that have had limited success worldwide. This chapter focuses on Kathputli Colony—a settlement of traditional artists, street performers and other working classes—in Delhi that has been slated for demolition and redevelopment since 2007. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in the form of oral interviews, participant and field observation and field reconnaissance, the work presents four vignettes of homes and clusters to demonstrate the uniqueness of these self- and incrementally-built spaces, particularly the connection between spatial ordering and sociocultural and economic practices of the residents. The authors argue that Kathputli Colony’s apparent “disorder” has in fact multiple layers of ordering and the planned modernist resettlement alternative would be highly disruptive to the traditional ways of living and livelihoods of the residents.
Gordon C.C. Douglas
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190691332
- eISBN:
- 9780190691349
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190691332.003.0007
- Subject:
- Sociology, Urban and Rural Studies, Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
The conclusion unites the study’s implications for the contemporary city and the book’s conceptual and theoretical contributions to urban studies. First, it confronts the theme of a ...
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The conclusion unites the study’s implications for the contemporary city and the book’s conceptual and theoretical contributions to urban studies. First, it confronts the theme of a formality-informality binary in urbanism, which the findings significantly complicate, positing social legitimacy as the better term for understanding the success or acceptability of an urban space intervention. The chapter describes how some of the problems with DIY urbanism—and many forms of urban placemaking—can be addressed through the operationalizing of legitimacy as a democratic, community-based metric of value and validity. But it also considers what additional and perhaps more intangible value DIY urban design still has in its very informality; along with the critical theory of Lefebvre, Harvey, and others and with sociological research on participatory citizenship and its limitations, it posits an inherent promise of unauthorized creative actions as sparks of popular participation and transformative potential.Less
The conclusion unites the study’s implications for the contemporary city and the book’s conceptual and theoretical contributions to urban studies. First, it confronts the theme of a formality-informality binary in urbanism, which the findings significantly complicate, positing social legitimacy as the better term for understanding the success or acceptability of an urban space intervention. The chapter describes how some of the problems with DIY urbanism—and many forms of urban placemaking—can be addressed through the operationalizing of legitimacy as a democratic, community-based metric of value and validity. But it also considers what additional and perhaps more intangible value DIY urban design still has in its very informality; along with the critical theory of Lefebvre, Harvey, and others and with sociological research on participatory citizenship and its limitations, it posits an inherent promise of unauthorized creative actions as sparks of popular participation and transformative potential.
Christoph Möllers
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199602117
- eISBN:
- 9780191747663
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199602117.003.0006
- Subject:
- Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law, Philosophy of Law
The principle of the separation of powers seemed like an attractive idea at the beginning of the twenty-first century, but one in steady decline, drawn from the arsenal of a classical political ...
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The principle of the separation of powers seemed like an attractive idea at the beginning of the twenty-first century, but one in steady decline, drawn from the arsenal of a classical political modernity that has grown old. The prevailing impression is that public authority has been centralized in executive organizations, and that the internationalization of the legal system has outpaced the classical structure of separated powers. This book has attempted to offer a model of legitimacy in reply to this flawed narrative, which tends to petrify a certain idea of statehood that has probably never been historically true in the first place. This chapter summarizes a few tendencies that run across the path of the argument yet figure significantly in the discussion. It discusses the issues of informality, governance, constitutionalization, and the diffusion of accountability.Less
The principle of the separation of powers seemed like an attractive idea at the beginning of the twenty-first century, but one in steady decline, drawn from the arsenal of a classical political modernity that has grown old. The prevailing impression is that public authority has been centralized in executive organizations, and that the internationalization of the legal system has outpaced the classical structure of separated powers. This book has attempted to offer a model of legitimacy in reply to this flawed narrative, which tends to petrify a certain idea of statehood that has probably never been historically true in the first place. This chapter summarizes a few tendencies that run across the path of the argument yet figure significantly in the discussion. It discusses the issues of informality, governance, constitutionalization, and the diffusion of accountability.
