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Accepted Paper:
Fostering Worker Power or Precarious Inclusion? The Role of Informal Worker Organizations in Facilitating Access to Social Insurance in Kenya and Tanzania
Nina Torm
(Roskilde University)
Paper short abstract:
Based on detailed survey data and in-depth interviews with informal workers across different sectors in four major cities of Kenya and Tanzania, this paper provides unique insight into the role of informal worker organizations in facilitating inclusion in formal social insurance schemes.
Paper long abstract:
This paper explores the extent to which informal worker organizations (IWOs) enable participation in formal social insurance schemes in four major cities of Kenya (Nairobi and Kisumu) and Tanzania (Dar es Salaam and Dodoma). Based on a combination of detailed survey data and in-depth interviews with informal workers and their organizations in the construction, micro-trade, and transport sectors, the study provides unique insight into what characterizes informal workers and the mechanisms through which social insurance access is enabled. The analysis shows that members of IWOs are significantly more likely to participate in formal health insurance compared with non-members, albeit with substantial variation across location, sector, and worker types. These divergences relate to sector-specific constellations and the different ways in which IWOs function. In many instances, IWOs play a dual role by providing both direct short-term social cushioning and facilitating enrolment in public social insurance schemes. Their part in ensuring universal and inclusive social protection must therefore not be underestimated, particularly in the context of COVID-19.
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Accepted Paper:
Paper short abstract:
Paper long abstract:
This paper explores the extent to which informal worker organizations (IWOs) enable participation in formal social insurance schemes in four major cities of Kenya (Nairobi and Kisumu) and Tanzania (Dar es Salaam and Dodoma). Based on a combination of detailed survey data and in-depth interviews with informal workers and their organizations in the construction, micro-trade, and transport sectors, the study provides unique insight into what characterizes informal workers and the mechanisms through which social insurance access is enabled. The analysis shows that members of IWOs are significantly more likely to participate in formal health insurance compared with non-members, albeit with substantial variation across location, sector, and worker types. These divergences relate to sector-specific constellations and the different ways in which IWOs function. In many instances, IWOs play a dual role by providing both direct short-term social cushioning and facilitating enrolment in public social insurance schemes. Their part in ensuring universal and inclusive social protection must therefore not be underestimated, particularly in the context of COVID-19.
Inclusive Futures for Informal Workers in Cities in the Global South II
Session 1 Thursday 7 July, 2022, -