Paper short abstract:

Much literature on economic knowledge draws on data from wealthy countries, where knowledge is often formalised. Drawing on limited primary research in Zaria, Nigeria and Hargeisa, Somaliland, we consider how frameworks might be developed to improve understanding where levels of informality are high

Paper long abstract:

Anglophone urban economic geography has tended to neglect urban economies in poorer and developing countries in which conditions of informality are often a given, yet the importance of knowledge in conducting business is evident at all levels. Hughes (2007) calls for further research into the area, and for critical engagement regarding the intersection between transnational business knowledge and indigenous knowledge in both urban and rural settings. The nature of the economic knowledge held and used by poor informal economic actors and the ways in which this contributes to economic growth is hinted at in the relevant literature, but is not examined in depth. Schmitz and Strambach (2009) observe that a global organisational concentration of economic knowledge production is being decomposed in a way that potentially creates opportunities for developing countries. From a related perspective, Lorentzen (2010) ponders why scholars of innovation are yet to apply their analytical insights to developing countries - to the people that arguably need them the most. Similarly, Murphy (2008) exhorts economic geographers to consider how they might refine their understanding of economic development by adopting an analytical lens from the Global South. An assessment of the economic knowledge of poor informal actors is overdue and would pioneer a new field of enquiry that has important spatial and growth policy implications. This paper presentation will explore these concerns, seeking to define ways in which these challenges might be met more effectively and drawing on limited primary research carried out in Zaria, Nigeria and in Hargeisa, Somaliland.

Paper short abstract:

This paper investigates informal entrepreneurs' perceptions and practices of environmental and social sustainability in Kenya. Using thematic analysis, we considered what the main barriers to sustainability are using an entrepreneur-driven approach.

Paper long abstract:

Existing practice and literature regarding sustainability in the informal sector has focussed on a top-down approach. That is, policy makers have introduced policies or regulations targeting the informal economy to drive sustainable development.

These initiatives often fail because they do not consider dynamics in the informal sector which hugely differ compared to traditional sectors of the economy. Recent research has shown that a bottom-up (entrepreneur driven) approach to this challenge can a) be an effective way to increase sustainability in the informal sector and b) offer insights to support top-down approaches.

We used thematic analysis to extract key themes emerging from semi-structured interviews with informal entrepreneurs throughout Kenya's Rift Valley. The analysis was driven by our five hypotheses about where barriers to environmental and social sustainability might occur:

1. A lack of awareness of sustainability

2. A lack of knowhow about what sustainable practices are in their business

3. The resource (time, money, etc.) implications of sustainability being unaffordable

4. Lack of access to key requirements for sustainable practices (e.g. technology)

5. Behavioural and motivational barriers

The main finding is that people in the informal economy are often aware and care about sustainability. They have the knowhow of some sustainable practices, and it is not uncommon for these to be financially feasible. Nonetheless, access to appropriate skills and high set-up costs are major barriers. Providing finance and skills for relevant investments can be key to encourage entrepreneurs towards more sustainable practices.

Paper short abstract:

This paper is concerned with attempts to manage the informal sector in India in terms of the Street Vendors Act 2104. The problematic implementation experience of this act is discussed in the case of the state of MP in India. Nevertheless this is seen as an important Global innovation.

Paper long abstract:

This paper is partly concerned with attempt to manage the informal sector in the urban areas of the Global South. It is specifically concerned with the case of Street Vendor in India.

Firstly it traces the evolution and political economy of attempts at management, through guidelines introduced in 2002, to the 2014 Act which is legally enforceable. This is an important story it is own right in how civil society organizations namely the NASVI (National Association of Street Vendors of India) were able successfully to lobby and change the law in India. The result is the new 2014 Act.

While the act has not yet been implemented, the State of Madhya Pradesh has implemented its own act which is almost identical. This has been successfully implemented at an administrative level but on the ground nothing has changed. It is suggested that this reflects the importance of symbolic politics and problems of implementation in India. Nevertheless in India, despite its problems in implementation, the Act is seen as an important innovation in the general problem of managing the informal sector. It also has unique aspects as it has followed an approach that is broadly rights-based and illustrates both the strengths and weakness of such an approach in contemporary India and elsewhere.

Paper short abstract:

The reality of urban economic agglomeration is one of the concentration of businesses. Rarely do concentrations coincide with the boundaries of imagined communities or the borders of administrative spaces of governments. The paper examines these ideas in relation to Indonesia.

Paper long abstract:

The reality of urban economic agglomeration is one of the greater or lesser concentration (or dispersal) of businesses and their linkages. Although the extant literature on agglomeration continues to be invested with a strong sense that the economic development benefits that flow from agglomeration and external economies are place bound, rarely has the scale of such places been the subject of explicit consideration. Moreover, rarely do concentrations of business and their linkages coincide with the boundaries of imagined communities or the borders of administrative spaces of governments. In this paper we explore the development implications of the varied relationships between these three senses of space, including the evolution of these relationships over time. We develop stylized typologies of the geographical and temporal relationships between these three senses of place. We illustrate these typologies with respect to industries and their relationship to kampongs as imagined and more or less cohesive social communities and administrative spaces of local governments in the Indonesian cities of Bandung, Semarang and Solo. The causal connections between these geographical and temporal relationships are ambiguous and highlight the limits of 'one size fits all' policy advocacy with respect to urban economic agglomeration.

Paper short abstract:

This paper presents critiques of how kampongs are relabelled as 'creative' but the development strategies are not clearly designed to support creativity and innovation processes

Paper long abstract:

This paper presents a typical example of how a globally-recognised notion of creativity is interpreted and used as a tool for stimulating local development in a developing country, inter alia, through city (re)branding. We examine the case of Bandung, an Indonesian city, particularly on how the local government used the creative city momentum in managing kampongs (community clusters). The local government relabelled several kampongs as creative in order to rejuvenate the brand image of those old clusters, which often reflect long-established community businesses. However, the local government has not gone beyond relabelling and pays less attention to the nature of and strategies for promoting creativity and innovation in the kampongs. In fact, those kampongs reflect two different conditions. First, despite various limitations, some kampongs have evolved and show potentials for accommodating innovation in an informal situation. In some cases, the local government does not bother with the informal status of the economic activities present in the kampongs, even if the activities do not fit the land use plan. Rather, informality is used as a strength of developing (or branding) the kampongs. Second, others do not show any form of innovation and thus, the rebranding strategy does not help revitalise the business conditions in the kampongs. Anchoring to the case studies from several kampongs in Bandung, creativity is defined as the acuteness to foresee the opportunity of creating jobs, instead of using the sensitivity to generate innovation.

Paper short abstract:

By examining the community and economic conditions of three 'creative kampungs' in Solo, Indonesia, this paper explores the relationship between public policy, the inventiveness of informal enterprise, and sustainability.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines the relationship between public policy and the inventiveness of informal enterprise, and asks to what degree informal innovations contribute to economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Using a mixed methodology of direct observation, interviews, regulatory impact analysis, and a survey, it analyzes three informal industry clusters in Solo, Central Java, a city that has in recent years earned a reputation as an Indonesian model city. Furthermore, it explores the economic geography of informal industry in Solo, seeking to better understand how Indonesian urban industrial geographic concepts, such as 'creative kampung' and 'sentra,' interact with government interventions. Forthcoming research will build on this paper to recommend economic development strategies in Solo in order to strengthen and support local sustainability.

Paper short abstract:

The paper identifies the important roles of local government and individual champions as exogenous factors promoting the innovation and development of locally-based SME clusters in Indonesia.

Paper long abstract:

Innovation in industry clusters is essential since it can promote the dynamism of enterprises, processes of innovation and local economic development. Influential theories of industry clustering in developing countries have suggested that the collective benefits of industry clustering are said to be latent. Yet it is also clear that informal businesses may not be able to access these benefits in the ways predicted. Moreover, exogenous factors appear important in stimulating industry cluster formation and innovation. The paper will present findings from scoping research relating to exogenous factors shaping innovation in SME cluster formation and development in Semarang, Indonesia - clusters in which the vast majority of SMEs are informally organised. The results indicate that in the context of Indonesia, local government initiatives have significant influence to trigger and maintain industry cluster and SME innovation and development. This institution has a trusted position among local SMEs that have limited capacities to further develop their business propositions. Another important exogenous factor in the development of informal industry clusters is the influence of individual business people or champions. Fieldwork evidence shows that these individual champions often come from outside local communities and bring wider perspectives to bear on the community internal to clusters. The progress and sustainability of informal SME cluster development appear to be strongly influenced by the existence of these components.