The Outsiders: Economic Reform and Informal Labour in a Developing Economy

The informal economy is a dynamic, active, and hotly-debated domain in the developing world. Unfortunately, it remains one of the most ignored areas in mainstream economic theory and development economics. In this book, Marjit and Kar provide a detailed theoretical overview and analytical understanding of informal labour markets in the context of economic reforms. Grounded in the neo-classical general equilibrium framework, the book analyses the impact of deregulatory policies on the welfare of informal workers in a segmented labour market. It discusses how informal wage responds to unemployment in the formal sector by exploring the interactions between the formal and the informal labour markets. The authors also examine institutional factors-political, economic, and governance mechanisms-to explore the major causes that sustain or impede the dynamism of informal labour markets. They offer empirical applications using official data sources and micro-level case studies of informal activities in West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.