Comparative Report: Individual factors for migration and migration channels A major ingredient of... more Comparative Report: Individual factors for migration and migration channels A major ingredient of the transformative processes in present-day Europe is the mobility of human capital. One of the major challenges continuously facing the EU is how best to manage labour migration in the context of population ageing and global competition for skills (OECD/EU, 2016). In order for the process to serve as an invigorating factor both for the economies in the region and for the quality of work and life of European citizens and residents we need to have the evidence of migrants’ expectations, experiences and aspirations for the future. In this report we present results from the comparative analysis conducted within the framework of WP4 ‘The lived experiences of migration’ of the GEMM Project (D4.3).
In the last decades several scholars have investigated the interplay between informal economy and... more In the last decades several scholars have investigated the interplay between informal economy and various aspects of national political economies, such as the level of wealth, the degree of inequality, the size of state regulation and the weight of the welfare state. With reference to the latter, Williams (2013) has recently analyzed the relationship between the degree and the nature of informality and welfare systems in EU member states, showing a sort of “replacement effect”. Whether this relation holds true outside the boundaries of the European Union still needs to be probed. In particular, that connection might be more challenging in the case of developing countries, where larger informal economies exist, and where the implications of the process of democratization on the state should be taken into account. On this point, one must consider that the nexus between democratization and social welfare is not unquestioned. Despite the fact that – typically - the process of democratization is “expected to go hand in hand with expectations of social welfare improvements” (Carbone, 2012: 157), in depth case-analysis highlighted that the impact of the first on the latter is multifaceted and needs to be carefully assessed (Filgueira, 2005; Carbone, 2012). Building on these strands of literature, the paper takes Brazil as case study and deals with two main research questions: 1) what has been the impact of the process of democratization on the size and nature of public social provision?; and 2) has the “replacement effect” identified by Williams (2013) between social welfare and informal economy occurred in Brazil? To this end the paper overviews key developments that characterized the recent democratic history of the country in three periods - the two presidential mandates of Cardoso (1995-2003), the two presidential mandates of Lula da Silva (2003-2011), and the first presidential mandate of Rousseff (2011-2015), using a mixed method that combines both quantitative and qualitative research techniques.
Since the 1960s the informal economy has had a relevant role in the economic development processe... more Since the 1960s the informal economy has had a relevant role in the economic development processes in Latin America. In this context scholars developed the main theoretical approaches that have attempted to explain the causes of informality and its possible policy responses. The presentation will show the main definitions of the informal economy, its strong and weak points, the main explanations of the informal economy used in the Latin American countries, and the trends of informality in comparison with both the employment and GDP evolution. In the final part the attention will focus on some open questions and some reasons for which it is still important to deal with the informal economy and its controversies.
Dutch Crossing: Journal of Low Countries Studies, 2016
Public administrations are currently affected by different sources of pressure. In Italy, recent ... more Public administrations are currently affected by different sources of pressure. In Italy, recent governments have attempted to rationalize public spending through top-down cutbacks, the introduction of managerial principles, and the reorganization of public services. Civil servants are undergoing a major transformation also in the relationship with users. The latter express differentiated needs and require greater consideration for their personal situation as a consequence of the process of individualization. At the same time, public opinion remains particularly critical, strengthening negative and stereotyped images of civil servants. Since Lipsky’s study of street level bureaucracy (1980) the presence of leeway due to the variety of requests and regulatory gaps is well known. However, there is little evidence on how this is changing nowadays considering the pressure ‘from above’ to adopt a business logic, the one ‘from below’, and the growing scarcity of resources. Preliminary findings have shown the persistence of significant variations to the standard procedures, in which the discretionary power of public operators still plays an important role. Analyzing everyday practice, a huge effort for the absorption of institutional changes and for mediation between contrasting goals seems to emerge. In this background, we show some preliminary results of two case studies that are part of a broader project covering different fields (social work, healthcare, education, public security, housing and employment centres). Drawing on ethnographic observations and interviews with bureaucrats and managers of public offices (specifically, housing organizations and employment offices), the paper aims to analyze how the new managerial regime, on one hand, and the challenges in the relationship with users, on the other, are reflected in the work cultures, but also in the strategies public servants employ daily. Some questions have driven our work: is the introduction of managerial practices actually reducing discretional power? Is a new organizational culture emerging?
""L’economia informale è uno dei temi che, da ormai diversi anni, ha generato un vivace... more ""L’economia informale è uno dei temi che, da ormai diversi anni, ha generato un vivace dibattito fra antropologi, economisti, sociologi e policy makers, soprattutto nel Sud del mondo. Recentemente l’attenzione si è soffermata sul carattere relativo della nozione di informalità e l’analisi si è concentrata sullo spazio e le relazioni esistenti fra parte formale ed informale dell’economia e sui differenti segmenti che compongono quest’ultima. L’approccio adottato nella ricerca empirica descritta nell’articolo segue questa recente tendenza. Oggetto dell’indagine sono stati venditori e venditrici porta a porta informali, che lavorano a Nova Friburgo e Itapetininga (Brasile). L’articolo riprende alcuni degli aspetti più significativi emersi dalla ricerca, quali le differenti rappresentazioni dell’economia informale costruite nella pratica dai soggetti osservati e il ruolo delle reti sociali. Le diverse rappresentazioni hanno contribuito a delineare più distinzioni all’interno dell’informalità, spesso basate sull’identificazione in specifiche cerchie di riconoscimento. In situazioni di marginalità, le reti sociali si confermano un’importante fonte di sostegno per le persone. La fiducia, declinata in differenti forme empiriche, rappresenta un fattore determinante per limitare i comportamenti opportunistici da parte degli attori sociali e per ridurre i costi di transazione che caratterizzano lo scambio di beni e servizi e il lavoro nell’economia informale. Fattori sociali intangibili, derivanti dall’appartenenza a determinate cerchie sociali, non contribuiscono solo a regolare transazioni di tipo economico, ma sembrano assumere anche un valore in sé, in grado di orientare in senso più ampio le scelte di chi vive e lavora nell’informalità. In the South of the world the informal economy was one of the topics more debated among academics and political actors for a long time. Lately the focus has shifted to the relative nature of the notion of informality, and analysis has been concentrated on the space between the two poles of economy, on specific aspects regarding the interplay between the formal and informal parts of economy, and on the segmentation of informality. The paper follows this recent trend, presenting some insights that came out of a detailed description of economic activities conducted by informal door-to-door sellers who work in Itapetininga, Brazil. In particular, the paper points out the different social representations concerning the informal economy and the role of social relations. The social actors have shown various representations of informality, essentially based on their identification in specific circles of recognition. In some contexts characterised by widespread vulnerability and extreme marginality, social networks are crucial in order to support people to cope with problems. Trust, in its several practices, becomes a key element which is able to reduce opportunistic behaviours and transaction costs typical of the informal economy; but intangible social factors not only enable the formation and reproduction of informal work relationships: they assume a value that orients choices of people who work and live in the informal economy.""
The Informal Economy and Employment in Brazil, 2010
It is possible to state that since the origins of early modernity,1 all economic and social syste... more It is possible to state that since the origins of early modernity,1 all economic and social systems have to varying extents comprised a heterogeneous set of processes whereby goods and services are produced by eluding one or more distinctive aspects of the formal or regular part of the economy. Specifically, they may dodge out of commercial, tax, or labor law, and at times, regulation of the market and the pursuit of profit. Such activities are not new, therefore, but they have assumed greater magnitude and visibility since the early 1970s, when the headlong economic growth of the industrialized countries (and the economic advance of some developing countries) abruptly slowed down. The dominant productive paradigm,2 generating those high growth rates, has been gainsaid by an economic and social context that is no longer predictable, and has lost most of its presumed universal efficacy. Consequently, the economic environment has grown increasingly uncertain in many of its dimensions (from demand to the labor market, in their qualitative and quantitative aspects), and has exhibited a new distribution of risk among firms, the state, and the labor force. In this new economic situation, the narrative of the limitless growth of production, consumption, and work has lost much of its persuasiveness and is no longer considered the inevitable outcome of a linear process of economic development.3
The hotels and restaurants industry (Horeca) is a labour-intensive sector, dominated by small bus... more The hotels and restaurants industry (Horeca) is a labour-intensive sector, dominated by small businesses and characterised by low levels of affiliation to employer organisations and trade unions. Working conditions in the sector can be very different from those in other service industries. This report describes and analyses the main challenges facing the sector, such as the impact of the crisis on employment, undeclared work, employment of young workers, seasonal work and working hours, qualifications and skills development, and health and safety at work. The study explores the state of social dialogue in the sector, highlighting the contribution of the social partners to addressing the current challenges. Based on contributions from the national centres of the European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO), the study covers the sector across EU27 countries and Norway. Five key issues were identified to ensure sustainability and competitiveness of the sector: information, training, quality, sustainable development and new technologies.
The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe canadien, 2021
Key Messages For many informal workers?including street vendors?staying at home and stopping work... more Key Messages For many informal workers?including street vendors?staying at home and stopping working during the pandemic cannot be considered feasible options for many reasons. Analyzing informal street vending activities as a homogeneous phenomenon risks provoking misleading interpretations of street vendors solely as victims or as irresponsible people. Recognizing there is heterogeneity in street vending helps to illuminate the different social representations, identities, and strategies used by street vendors.
Comparative Report: Individual factors for migration and migration channels A major ingredient of... more Comparative Report: Individual factors for migration and migration channels A major ingredient of the transformative processes in present-day Europe is the mobility of human capital. One of the major challenges continuously facing the EU is how best to manage labour migration in the context of population ageing and global competition for skills (OECD/EU, 2016). In order for the process to serve as an invigorating factor both for the economies in the region and for the quality of work and life of European citizens and residents we need to have the evidence of migrants’ expectations, experiences and aspirations for the future. In this report we present results from the comparative analysis conducted within the framework of WP4 ‘The lived experiences of migration’ of the GEMM Project (D4.3).
In the last decades several scholars have investigated the interplay between informal economy and... more In the last decades several scholars have investigated the interplay between informal economy and various aspects of national political economies, such as the level of wealth, the degree of inequality, the size of state regulation and the weight of the welfare state. With reference to the latter, Williams (2013) has recently analyzed the relationship between the degree and the nature of informality and welfare systems in EU member states, showing a sort of “replacement effect”. Whether this relation holds true outside the boundaries of the European Union still needs to be probed. In particular, that connection might be more challenging in the case of developing countries, where larger informal economies exist, and where the implications of the process of democratization on the state should be taken into account. On this point, one must consider that the nexus between democratization and social welfare is not unquestioned. Despite the fact that – typically - the process of democratization is “expected to go hand in hand with expectations of social welfare improvements” (Carbone, 2012: 157), in depth case-analysis highlighted that the impact of the first on the latter is multifaceted and needs to be carefully assessed (Filgueira, 2005; Carbone, 2012). Building on these strands of literature, the paper takes Brazil as case study and deals with two main research questions: 1) what has been the impact of the process of democratization on the size and nature of public social provision?; and 2) has the “replacement effect” identified by Williams (2013) between social welfare and informal economy occurred in Brazil? To this end the paper overviews key developments that characterized the recent democratic history of the country in three periods - the two presidential mandates of Cardoso (1995-2003), the two presidential mandates of Lula da Silva (2003-2011), and the first presidential mandate of Rousseff (2011-2015), using a mixed method that combines both quantitative and qualitative research techniques.
Since the 1960s the informal economy has had a relevant role in the economic development processe... more Since the 1960s the informal economy has had a relevant role in the economic development processes in Latin America. In this context scholars developed the main theoretical approaches that have attempted to explain the causes of informality and its possible policy responses. The presentation will show the main definitions of the informal economy, its strong and weak points, the main explanations of the informal economy used in the Latin American countries, and the trends of informality in comparison with both the employment and GDP evolution. In the final part the attention will focus on some open questions and some reasons for which it is still important to deal with the informal economy and its controversies.
Dutch Crossing: Journal of Low Countries Studies, 2016
Public administrations are currently affected by different sources of pressure. In Italy, recent ... more Public administrations are currently affected by different sources of pressure. In Italy, recent governments have attempted to rationalize public spending through top-down cutbacks, the introduction of managerial principles, and the reorganization of public services. Civil servants are undergoing a major transformation also in the relationship with users. The latter express differentiated needs and require greater consideration for their personal situation as a consequence of the process of individualization. At the same time, public opinion remains particularly critical, strengthening negative and stereotyped images of civil servants. Since Lipsky’s study of street level bureaucracy (1980) the presence of leeway due to the variety of requests and regulatory gaps is well known. However, there is little evidence on how this is changing nowadays considering the pressure ‘from above’ to adopt a business logic, the one ‘from below’, and the growing scarcity of resources. Preliminary findings have shown the persistence of significant variations to the standard procedures, in which the discretionary power of public operators still plays an important role. Analyzing everyday practice, a huge effort for the absorption of institutional changes and for mediation between contrasting goals seems to emerge. In this background, we show some preliminary results of two case studies that are part of a broader project covering different fields (social work, healthcare, education, public security, housing and employment centres). Drawing on ethnographic observations and interviews with bureaucrats and managers of public offices (specifically, housing organizations and employment offices), the paper aims to analyze how the new managerial regime, on one hand, and the challenges in the relationship with users, on the other, are reflected in the work cultures, but also in the strategies public servants employ daily. Some questions have driven our work: is the introduction of managerial practices actually reducing discretional power? Is a new organizational culture emerging?
""L’economia informale è uno dei temi che, da ormai diversi anni, ha generato un vivace... more ""L’economia informale è uno dei temi che, da ormai diversi anni, ha generato un vivace dibattito fra antropologi, economisti, sociologi e policy makers, soprattutto nel Sud del mondo. Recentemente l’attenzione si è soffermata sul carattere relativo della nozione di informalità e l’analisi si è concentrata sullo spazio e le relazioni esistenti fra parte formale ed informale dell’economia e sui differenti segmenti che compongono quest’ultima. L’approccio adottato nella ricerca empirica descritta nell’articolo segue questa recente tendenza. Oggetto dell’indagine sono stati venditori e venditrici porta a porta informali, che lavorano a Nova Friburgo e Itapetininga (Brasile). L’articolo riprende alcuni degli aspetti più significativi emersi dalla ricerca, quali le differenti rappresentazioni dell’economia informale costruite nella pratica dai soggetti osservati e il ruolo delle reti sociali. Le diverse rappresentazioni hanno contribuito a delineare più distinzioni all’interno dell’informalità, spesso basate sull’identificazione in specifiche cerchie di riconoscimento. In situazioni di marginalità, le reti sociali si confermano un’importante fonte di sostegno per le persone. La fiducia, declinata in differenti forme empiriche, rappresenta un fattore determinante per limitare i comportamenti opportunistici da parte degli attori sociali e per ridurre i costi di transazione che caratterizzano lo scambio di beni e servizi e il lavoro nell’economia informale. Fattori sociali intangibili, derivanti dall’appartenenza a determinate cerchie sociali, non contribuiscono solo a regolare transazioni di tipo economico, ma sembrano assumere anche un valore in sé, in grado di orientare in senso più ampio le scelte di chi vive e lavora nell’informalità. In the South of the world the informal economy was one of the topics more debated among academics and political actors for a long time. Lately the focus has shifted to the relative nature of the notion of informality, and analysis has been concentrated on the space between the two poles of economy, on specific aspects regarding the interplay between the formal and informal parts of economy, and on the segmentation of informality. The paper follows this recent trend, presenting some insights that came out of a detailed description of economic activities conducted by informal door-to-door sellers who work in Itapetininga, Brazil. In particular, the paper points out the different social representations concerning the informal economy and the role of social relations. The social actors have shown various representations of informality, essentially based on their identification in specific circles of recognition. In some contexts characterised by widespread vulnerability and extreme marginality, social networks are crucial in order to support people to cope with problems. Trust, in its several practices, becomes a key element which is able to reduce opportunistic behaviours and transaction costs typical of the informal economy; but intangible social factors not only enable the formation and reproduction of informal work relationships: they assume a value that orients choices of people who work and live in the informal economy.""
The Informal Economy and Employment in Brazil, 2010
It is possible to state that since the origins of early modernity,1 all economic and social syste... more It is possible to state that since the origins of early modernity,1 all economic and social systems have to varying extents comprised a heterogeneous set of processes whereby goods and services are produced by eluding one or more distinctive aspects of the formal or regular part of the economy. Specifically, they may dodge out of commercial, tax, or labor law, and at times, regulation of the market and the pursuit of profit. Such activities are not new, therefore, but they have assumed greater magnitude and visibility since the early 1970s, when the headlong economic growth of the industrialized countries (and the economic advance of some developing countries) abruptly slowed down. The dominant productive paradigm,2 generating those high growth rates, has been gainsaid by an economic and social context that is no longer predictable, and has lost most of its presumed universal efficacy. Consequently, the economic environment has grown increasingly uncertain in many of its dimensions (from demand to the labor market, in their qualitative and quantitative aspects), and has exhibited a new distribution of risk among firms, the state, and the labor force. In this new economic situation, the narrative of the limitless growth of production, consumption, and work has lost much of its persuasiveness and is no longer considered the inevitable outcome of a linear process of economic development.3
The hotels and restaurants industry (Horeca) is a labour-intensive sector, dominated by small bus... more The hotels and restaurants industry (Horeca) is a labour-intensive sector, dominated by small businesses and characterised by low levels of affiliation to employer organisations and trade unions. Working conditions in the sector can be very different from those in other service industries. This report describes and analyses the main challenges facing the sector, such as the impact of the crisis on employment, undeclared work, employment of young workers, seasonal work and working hours, qualifications and skills development, and health and safety at work. The study explores the state of social dialogue in the sector, highlighting the contribution of the social partners to addressing the current challenges. Based on contributions from the national centres of the European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO), the study covers the sector across EU27 countries and Norway. Five key issues were identified to ensure sustainability and competitiveness of the sector: information, training, quality, sustainable development and new technologies.
The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe canadien, 2021
Key Messages For many informal workers?including street vendors?staying at home and stopping work... more Key Messages For many informal workers?including street vendors?staying at home and stopping working during the pandemic cannot be considered feasible options for many reasons. Analyzing informal street vending activities as a homogeneous phenomenon risks provoking misleading interpretations of street vendors solely as victims or as irresponsible people. Recognizing there is heterogeneity in street vending helps to illuminate the different social representations, identities, and strategies used by street vendors.
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