Informal Sector Innovations : Insights from the global south

It is well documented that the space of informal economic activity is rising across the globe. This rise has been particularly significant in the least developed and developing countries, especially after the onset of neo-liberal policies and withdrawal of welfare state. There has also been a shift in academic thinking on informal sector, with attempts being made to understand the contribution of informal sector in generating employment and economic growth rather than focusing solely on exploitative labour conditions in these economic activities. Indeed, with the retreat of welfare state and the introduction of contract labour in the formal sector, many issues related to occupational hazards and improper labour conditions do not remain unique to the informal sectors of the economy, particularly in less developed countries.

This volume addresses a specific concern: the issue of knowledge generation and innovative activities, which lies at the core of sustained competitive advantage of these activities. The chapters in this book were originally published in the African Journal of Science Technology Innovation and Development.

Mammo Muchie is a DST/NRF Research Professor of Innovation Studies at the Institute for Economic Research on Innovation at Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa; Adjunct Professor at the Adama Science and Technology University, Ethiopia; and Senior Research Associate at the TMCD Centre at the University of Oxford, UK.

Saradindu Bhaduri is Assistant Professor in the Centre for Studies in Science Policy at Jawaharlal Nehru University, India.

Angathevar Baskaran is a Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Economics and Administration at the University of Malaya, Malaysia; and Senior Research Associate in the SARChi Programme at Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa.

Fayaz Ahmad Sheikh is currently pursuing his PhD on informal sector innovations from the Centre for Studies in Science Policy at Jawaharlal Nehru University, India.