In Search of Security: Combined Forms of Production in the So-Called Informal Sector

In discussion of unemployment in Europe, forms of unwaged labor are increasingly placed in the "informal sector." Based on research in developing countries, it is found that this term can be misleading. From the perspective of social theory, the notion of a "stratum of the insecure&qu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zeitschrift für Soziologie 1983-10, Vol.12 (4), p.281-296
Main Authors: Elwert, Georg, Evers, Hans-Dieter, Wilkens, Werner
Format: Article
Language:ger
Subjects:
Informal/Informality
Insecurity
Labor/Labors
Sector/Sectors
Wage/Wages
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Summary:In discussion of unemployment in Europe, forms of unwaged labor are increasingly placed in the "informal sector." Based on research in developing countries, it is found that this term can be misleading. From the perspective of social theory, the notion of a "stratum of the insecure" appears more appropriate, as in this stratum, action in quest of security assumes priority over the maximization of income. While this stratum can rely on cooperative & corporate forms of security, the insecure make significant attempts to create similar institutions, often in the form of ethnic associations or religious sects. A stratum of the insecure reflects a process whereby societal power & privilege concentrate resources in a central Ur sector dominated by government & large-scale industry, while at the same time other sectors become undercapitalized & "insecure." 4 Graphs, 67 References. Modified HA.
ISSN:0340-1804