The informal economy is an employer, a nuisance, and a goldmine: Multiple representations of and responses to informality in Accra, Ghana

Bob-Milliar, GM; Obeng-Odoom, F

The informal economy is an employer, a nuisance, and a goldmine: Multiple representations of and responses to informality in Accra, Ghana

Bob-Milliar, GM Obeng-Odoom, F

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Urban Anthropology, 2011, 40 (3-4), pp. 263 - 284
Issue Date:: 2011-09-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Bob-Milliar, GM	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Obeng-Odoom, F https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3997-7751	en_US
dc.date.issued	2011-09-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Urban Anthropology, 2011, 40 (3-4), pp. 263 - 284	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0894-6019	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/18744
dc.description.abstract	An analysis of multiple sources of evidence, including field interviews and non-participant observation, shows that the informal economy in Accra, Ghana has a complex relationship with the state, not only as a nuisance or employer, but also as an avenue to reward and punish political supporters and opponents. Although informal people are regularly being forcibly evicted, they are not merely "on the run." Rather, they, in turn, are regularly engaging the state in multiple ways to maintain or reclaim urban space, a struggle that is sometimes mediated by civil society organizations acting as a "third way." Being a drama that benefits aspects of the state, such as the government, it is unlikely to end soon without greater struggle against the state. © 2011 The Institute, Inc.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Urban Anthropology	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Anthropology	en_US
dc.title	The informal economy is an employer, a nuisance, and a goldmine: Multiple representations of and responses to informality in Accra, Ghana	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	3-4	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	40	en_US
utslib.for	120599 Urban and Regional Planning not elsewhere classified	en_US
utslib.for	1699 Other Studies in Human Society	en_US
utslib.for	1601 Anthropology	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building/School of Built Environment
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CCDP - Contemporary Design Practice
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	3-4	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	40	en_US

Abstract:

An analysis of multiple sources of evidence, including field interviews and non-participant observation, shows that the informal economy in Accra, Ghana has a complex relationship with the state, not only as a nuisance or employer, but also as an avenue to reward and punish political supporters and opponents. Although informal people are regularly being forcibly evicted, they are not merely "on the run." Rather, they, in turn, are regularly engaging the state in multiple ways to maintain or reclaim urban space, a struggle that is sometimes mediated by civil society organizations acting as a "third way." Being a drama that benefits aspects of the state, such as the government, it is unlikely to end soon without greater struggle against the state. © 2011 The Institute, Inc.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/18744