Satyam Mishra
(Amity University Uttar Pradesh, India)
Anjan Sen
(University of Delhi)
Format:
Panel
Streams:
Informality
Sessions:
Wednesday 6 July, -
Time zone: Europe/London
Informality, Decent Work and Urban Development: Discussing Informal Economies and Cities across the Globe.
Panel P46c at conference DSA2022: Just sustainable futures in an urbanising and mobile world.
This panel aims to discuss the nature, issues, and challenges related to informality, decent work, and urban development in cities all over the world. We expect to have a debate on informality and provisions of decent work, also how a higher percentage of informality affects urban development.
Long Abstract:
Cities are host to economic productions and a range of economic activities; therefore, workers involved in economic activities make cities their homes. However, the political economy of cities decides what kind of quality of life anyone gets in any city, informal workers being less paid and devoid of workers' rights and decent work mostly take shelter in slums, squatter settlements, and makeshift houses that are unhygienic and devoid of quality of life. To promote labour rights, ILO proposed the 'decent work' concept with four components: productive employment, labour standards, social protection and social dialogue. By comparing and contrasting the work conditions in various countries and at different workplaces, workers' rights can be protected and promoted.
This panel session aims to discuss the nature, issues, and challenges related to informality, decent work, and urban development in both developed and developing countries. We welcome paper presentations or case studies on the above-mentioned theme from across the globe. Moreover, this session plans to bridge the outcomes of deliberations to empirical research and theory building. By approaching the established and new scholars with good knowledge of both theories and case studies, we expect a lively, relevant and much-needed debate on informality and provisions of decent work, also how a higher percentage of informality affects urban development. Finally, this session focuses on responding to increasing international invitations to develop more critical analyses of "who gets what, where and how" (Smith, 1974) in the context of informality, decent work and the political economy of cities.
Sanitation workers in India face social prejudices and economic hardship. They undertake tasks that are dangerous, stigmatizing, underpaid, and yet remain unnoticed. This paper focuses on the tough existence and seeks to figure out how their employment has given them a sense of purpose.
Paper long abstract:
Sanitation employees are among the most important aspects of civilization. Even in the face of social and economic hardship, they continue to work for us. They labour every day, without taking a break, and yet they remain unnoticed. In India, the stigmatized social stratification continues to be a major driver of these employees' destiny. As a consequence, people, families, and communities, mostly 'Dalits,' are forced to undertake duties that are not only dangerous, but also extremely underpaid. This paper focuses on the tough existence that sanitation workers lead, and seeks to figure out how their employment has given them a sense of purpose. Persons involved in sanitation efforts have been assigned an unidentified identity in society, which is regarded as undesirable. It goes on to discuss the need of social security schemes. They become invisible in society as a result of this identity, and their future success and goals are hampered. The researcher discovered several sanitation workers at various places in Delhi. There were sanitation employees who were involved in various sorts of manual scavenging, including sewage cleaner, septic tank cleaners, rag pickers and open drain cleaners, as well as other sanitation workers operating in dormitories or on the highways. Only 30% of those who involved in manual scavenging were aware of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (PEMSR 2013), and only 20% were knowledgeable that manual scavenging is illegal. Government programme for rehabilitation, alternative jobs, and children's education provide them with little advantages.
The three pillars of an on-demand gig economy are shared resources, a smartphone app, and temporary workers. The paper studies in general all workers, and specifically the women workers working in Ola, Uber, Swiggy, Amazon and Urban Clap.
Paper long abstract:
The term "Gig Economy" stands for a market-based economy that deals with the short-term contract system i.e., paid in accordance of the company or an individual in a marketplace. This economy deals with the public and policy interest growing in an area of academic inquiry putting questions on the future of work, labor regulation, technological impact on job quality. Gig economy has now developed among all kinds of industries. There is a paradigm shift in the choice of labor selection methods and techniques, including working style and hours in Gig Economy. This economy got its birth with the mass adoption of penetration into smartphone, internet which led people to connect globally over a digital platform. With this emerging type of economy, people can now enjoy various benefits like flexibility, freedom to work of their choice, and also women can comfortably look at their families.
Key Words: Digital Economy, Sharing Economy, Gig Economy, Digital Platforms, Gig Worker, Community of Digital Nomads, On-Demand Work
The whole world is facing the biggest humanitarian crisis after the second World War where every country is facing the devastating impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Although, India has managed well in containing the widespread of the pandemic through nationwide lockdown.
Paper long abstract:
The coronavirus has no frontier and political boundary which has impacted both formal and informal sectors of the economy. Though, informal sectors are worst affected due to absence of any protective cover including social security. The livelihood of handicraft artisans is based on day-to-day working and earning while during pandemic they were not allowed to go outside. The pandemic has created dilemma that the government should emphasise either on saving the country's people from health emergency or saving the economy. Both are equally important to make the nation prosperous. The virus has compelled everyone to stay at home and start working from home, which was impossible for glass beads artisans of Varanasi. The sale of glass beads has declined exponentially as these are export-oriented products and all the countries have closed their borders to contain the spread coronavirus disease. The basic objective of the research study is to identify and analyse the economic and social challenges faced by glass beads artisans during COVID-19 pandemic. A household survey was conducted using purposive sampling in different clusters of glass beads in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh, India in 2021. Although, it was the government's first priority to save its citizen and government did well in this regard. Further, it has left no stone unturned to contain the spread of coronavirus, through the lockdown, awareness campaign to make people stay safe and encourage others to get vaccinated at the earliest.
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Anjan Sen (University of Delhi)
Short Abstract:
This panel aims to discuss the nature, issues, and challenges related to informality, decent work, and urban development in cities all over the world. We expect to have a debate on informality and provisions of decent work, also how a higher percentage of informality affects urban development.
Long Abstract:
Cities are host to economic productions and a range of economic activities; therefore, workers involved in economic activities make cities their homes. However, the political economy of cities decides what kind of quality of life anyone gets in any city, informal workers being less paid and devoid of workers' rights and decent work mostly take shelter in slums, squatter settlements, and makeshift houses that are unhygienic and devoid of quality of life. To promote labour rights, ILO proposed the 'decent work' concept with four components: productive employment, labour standards, social protection and social dialogue. By comparing and contrasting the work conditions in various countries and at different workplaces, workers' rights can be protected and promoted.
This panel session aims to discuss the nature, issues, and challenges related to informality, decent work, and urban development in both developed and developing countries. We welcome paper presentations or case studies on the above-mentioned theme from across the globe. Moreover, this session plans to bridge the outcomes of deliberations to empirical research and theory building. By approaching the established and new scholars with good knowledge of both theories and case studies, we expect a lively, relevant and much-needed debate on informality and provisions of decent work, also how a higher percentage of informality affects urban development. Finally, this session focuses on responding to increasing international invitations to develop more critical analyses of "who gets what, where and how" (Smith, 1974) in the context of informality, decent work and the political economy of cities.
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Wednesday 6 July, 2022, -