Paper short abstract:

This paper looks at the experiential and conceptual perceptions of economic informality, entrepreneurship, and work in Zambia and Zimbabwe and suggests that varying perceptions of informality lead to different experiences of citizenship.

Paper long abstract:

Both Zimbabwe and Zambia were labour reserve economies during the colonial period with a rather small women-dominated informal sector which in a household complemented men's salaries. The postcolonial period in both countries, although different in many ways, was characterised by a significant reliance on the state in the economic sphere. Economic liberalisation brought about a decrease in formal employment and an expansion of the informal economy as a source of livelihood. Despite somewhat similar trajectories, the perceptions of informality in Zambia and Zimbabwe drastically vary which has implications for the understanding of work and labour, entrepreneurship, self-reliance, and relationships with the state. In Zimbabwe, people in the informal sector often do not see it as 'work' and 'job' and do not recognise themselves as entrepreneurs and businesspeople. They heavily rely of the state to restore the economy and create employment and perpetuate the postcolonial modernist ideas which do not include the informal sector. In Zambia, people view themselves as entrepreneurs and treat their income-generating activities as businesses and work. Reliance on the state in that context is expressed in a desire to have government contracts and funding rather than employment. Such a significant difference affects people's vision of themselves as both economic and political actors and their lives experiences of citizenship.