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Informal Economy in India: Persistence and Meagreness

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Labour Questions in the Global South

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Abstract

This article offers an estimate of the informal sector in non-agricultural activities in the rural and urban areas. It brings out the supply-push segment within the informal sector. The findings of micro-surveys are utilized to construct the well-being index of the households, the members of which are largely engaged in the informal sector. Findings from the qualitative survey are also cited to understand how contractualization and ancillarization have impacted on the work practices and performance of the informal sector. Finally, the article looks into policy issues.

Originally published in Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 4 No. 2 Copyright 2015 © Centre for Agrarian Research and Education for South (CARES), New Delhi. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holders and the publishers, SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This project and survey sponsored by UNDP-GOI were undertaken by the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi.

  2. 2.

    The clusters act as political vote banks and in return, they are assured of legal tenure and accessibility to basic amenities.

References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi University Enclave, New Delhi, India

    Arup Mitra

Authors
  1. Arup Mitra
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Correspondence to Arup Mitra .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Economic Studies and Planning School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

    Praveen Jha

  2. Sam Moyo African Institute for Agrarian Studies (SMAIAS), Harare, Zimbabwe

    Walter Chambati

  3. Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

    Lyn Ossome

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Mitra, A. (2021). Informal Economy in India: Persistence and Meagreness. In: Jha, P., Chambati, W., Ossome, L. (eds) Labour Questions in the Global South. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4635-2_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4635-2_11

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-33-4634-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-33-4635-2

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