January 2020

Program description

The informal economy, defined as business activities that occur outside of formal institutional boundaries but within the boundaries of informal institutions, is a massive force in the engine of the world economy, but it remains largely shrouded in secrecy and hidden from sight. The goal of our research program is to unveil entrepreneurial dynamics in the informal economy.

In collaboration with a local NGO, we will explore the role of non-market institutions in driving informal economic activity in the townships of Cape Town, South Africa. We will be working with and collecting both quantitative and qualitative data on all enterprises in a particular township. This will include novel sets of survey, visual, and geospatial data.