Suchergebnisse

In the 1970s, social scientists used the term "informal economy" to describe the economic survival strategies of many of the working poor in Third World cities. Now, both terminology and analysis are applied in the advanced, industrialized countries to the often proliferating variations in nonwage employment that have emerged during the world recession of the late 1970s and 1980s. In this article, social science's understanding of the relationship between the informal economy and socioeconomic development is traced back to the early nineteenth century. It is argued that this interest has tended to wax and wane according to the cycle of boom and slump in national and international economy alike. It is in this broader historical context that the policies and reality of small-scale informal economic activity in the Third World can best be elucidated.

In the 1970s, social scientists used the term "informal economy" to describe the economic survival strategies of many of the working poor in Third World cities. Now, both terminology & analysis are applied in advanced, industrialized countries to the often proliferating variations in nonwage employment that have emerged during the world recession of the late 1970s & 1980s. Here, social science's understanding of the relationship between the informal economy & SE development is traced back to the early nineteenth century. It is argued that this interest has tended to wax & wane according to the cycle of boom & slump in national & international economies alike. It is in this broader historical context that the policies & reality of small-scale informal economic activity in the Third World can best be elucidated. HA

This study of petty commodity production in Senegal's capital city, Dakar, begins with a critique of conventional social scientific analyses of the "non-industrially-employed" segments of the labour-force in underdeveloped capitalist economies. In doing so, it also examines the contributions already made by radical theorists in this field, and offers an initial framework of problematics and concepts on which a more detailed materialist analysis might be based. Following this introduction, the concept of petty commodity production is analysed in some detail, with reference to both the classical and contemporary Marxist literature. Subsequently, the historical evolution and dynamic of petty commodity production is traced in general terms for Europe, and then with specific reference to the Senegambian region of West Africa. The composition and organisation of the labour-force in petty commodity production is then closely examined on the basis of data collected in a questionnaire survey of 285 workshop-based small producers. The labour-force and the labour process are then disaggregated in order to identify the various forms and degrees of proletarianisation experienced by petty producers and their labourers. Finally, the conventional policies for the "promotion" of small scale industry and services in under-developed capitalist countries are critically evaluated in both their national and international contexts.

SUMMARY Urban petty producers in underdeveloped countries provide many of the necessary wage‐goods demanded by the urban and rural population at relatively cheap prices. Large numbers of youth are trained in small workshops and a flexible supply of cheap labour is maintained for large‐scale industry. Yet many small producers find themselves impoverished and unable to gain access to even the basic means of production. Patterns of industrial and personal consumption have been distorted, whilst foreign capital continues to be invested in activities of little value for authentic, popular development.RESUME Sous‐emploi, petite production et plans de promotion gouvernementauxDans les pays sous‐développés les petits producteurs urbains fournissent une grande part des biens de consommation demandés par la population urbaine et rurale, à des prix relativement bas. Un grand nombre de jeunes sont ainsi formés dans de petits ateliers et constituent une réserve de main‐d'oeuvre bon marché et facilement adaptable pour les grandes industries. Et pourtant les petits producteurs se voient appauvris et incapables de se procurer les moyens de production les plus élémentaires. Les structures de la consommation industrielle et personnelle ont été déformées, tandis que l'on continue à investir des capitaux étrangers dans des activités de peu d'intérêt pour un développement populaire authentique.RESUMEN Senegal: bajo nivel de empleo, artesania y planes de promoción patrocinados por el gobiernoLos artesanos urbanos en los países subdesarrollados proporcionan mucho de los productos requeridos por la población urbana y rural a precios relativamente bajos al alcance de sus ingresos. Muchos jóvenes reciben una formación en pequeños talleres, proporcionando así una fuente flexible de mano de obra económica destinada a las industrias de mayor escala. Sin embargo, muchos pequeños productores son pobres y no consiguen ganar acceso ni siquiéra a los medios básicos de producción. Las tendencias de consumo tanto industrial como personal han sido distorsionadas, mientras que se sigue inviertiendo capital extranjero en actividades que ofrecen pocas perspectivas para un desarrollo popular y auténtico.