Informal Work and Social Change

"Informal Work and Social Change" cites more than 800 works, covering a period from 1970-1996. Using key words to describe major themes of each citation, Shelley Feldman and Eveline Ferretti also provide annotations to summarize the more substantive works. The bibliographic section is flanked by an introductory essay discussing major strands of thought and research on the informal sector, a section defining key words and concepts, and two indexes, one by country and one by key words. In their introductory essay, the editors explain that while the literature on informal work shares a focus on the experience and performance of economic activity outside factories, firms and agencies, it encompasses wide divergence on the relation of informal work to industrial development and economic change. As a result, the body of work may appear highly disjointed. By providing a broad overview of the key themes and positions explored by past and current researchers on the informal sector, the editors highlight how different conceptions of informality build upon and reframe current understandings of global economic restructuring.
Their bibliography also unites work that has been sequestered in the publications of many separate disciplines.