The informal economy represents a significant share of output and employment in many developing countries. Yet little is known about this hidden engine of innovation. This pioneering study addresses some crucial questions, including: what is the role of the informal sector in economic development? How does innovation occur in the informal economy? How does it spread, who are the key actors and what impacts does it have? How do inventors and entrepreneurs in the informal economy reap benefits from their innovations? What stops informal sector innovation from scaling up? How can informal sector innovation in developing countries be measured? And what policies might support informal sector innovation and improve its impacts? This book will stimulate further work on this crucial but under-researched subject. As well as rich empirical evidence from several groundbreaking studies, it includes conceptual and methodological tools and policy recommendations to help researchers and policy-makers understand innovation in the informal economy.
Note
Description based upon print version of record.
Formatted Contents Note
List of Figures List of Tables List of Contributors Forewords Preface Introduction 1. The Informal Economy: Definitions, Size, Contribution and Main Characteristics 2. Innovation in the Informal Economy 3. A Study of the Informal Metalworking Sector in Nairobi 4. Informal Manufacturing of Home and Personal Care Products in South Africa 5. Herbal Medicine in the Informal Sector of Ghana 6. Appropriation and Intellectual Property in the Informal Economy 7. Innovation Policy and the Informal Economy: Toward a New Policy Framework 8. Formulating an Agenda for the Measurement of Innovation in the Informal Economy Annex 1. Ad Hoc Interview Guidelines and Questionnaires Annex 2. Extract 1 from the Generic Questionnaire of Stage 2 of the 1-2-3 Survey Annex 3. Kenya 2014 MSME Survey Index.
Series
Intellectual Property, Innovation and Economic Development.
Available in Other Form
Print version: Kraemer-Mbula, Erika The Informal Economy in Developing Nations : Hidden Engine of Innovation? Cambridge : Cambridge University Press,c2016