10/04/2012
International study for Durban headed by UKZN Professor
An international study of the informal economy is being undertaken over the period 2012-14 in 10 cities around the world - Ahmedabad, Pune, Lahore, Bangkok, Bogota, Lima, Belo Horizonte, Durban, Accra and Nakuru. It is the first ever panel study of work in the informal economy. A research and methodology training workshop is scheduled to take place in Durban to train the teams from 11-20 April.
This study will provide an in-depth assessment on a longitudinal basis of the state of the urban informal workforce and how it is affected by economic trends, urban policies and practices, value chain dynamics, and climate change. This assessment will be used to raise the profile of the informal economy in local, national, and international policy debates.
This study was the brainchild of the international research network Women in Informal Employment: Globalising and Organising, WIEGO (see, led by Professor Marty Chen of Harvard University. UKZN’s Professor Imraan Valodia is Research Director of the overall international study, and also leading the quantitative component of the research. UKZN’s Professor Francie Lund is a member of the Technical Advisory Committee. Professor Caroline Moser of the University of Manchester is leading the qualitative dimensions of the research. A number of other leading international researchers are associated with the project. Valodia, highlighted that this study will provide reliable indicators of the state of the urban informal economy.
‘The information and findings of this study will be disseminated in each of the 10 cities to planning authorities, institutions that impact on economic employment programmes and academic institutions. We hope to influence policy makers and in turn improve the lives of urban informal workers,’ he said. A set of research papers will also be published in various academic publications and journals.
The project will be undertaken in two rounds over three years, in the ten cities, with full research rounds taking place in 2012 and 2014. Piloting of the revised and expanded project methods is being undertaken during the April 2012 workshop in Durban with research expected to commence in May 2012 after the workshop training.
According to Valodia, this study will combine qualitative and quantitative research methods to provide an in-depth understanding of how three groups of urban informal workers – home-based workers, street vendors, and waste pickers - are affected by and respond to economic trends, urban policies and practices, value chain dynamics, and other driving forces; what intermediary factors help or constrain urban informal workers to respond effectively to these driving forces; and the impact over time of these dynamics on urban informal workers, their households, and the membership-based organizations to which they belong.
Five Durban-based researchers, that include both past and current UKZN students, will attend this 8-day workshop that will focus on training the members of the research team in the specific research methods developed for the study, particularly the participatory research techniques. In total, approximately, 70 researchers from all parts of the world will be attending the workshop in Durban.
‘There will be an initial five day PRA training session for the qualitative team members, followed by a four day quantitative methods training workshop, with overlap on day 5 of the meeting.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Professor Imraan Valodia
Development Studies
School of the Built Environment and Development Studies
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Howard College Campus
Durban, 4041
South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)31 2601357
Cell: +27 (0)836335069
Fax: +27 (0)31 2602359
Email: