Entries tagged ‘Informal Economy’
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With Tight Schedules and Early Mornings, Autorickshaw Drivers Set a City’s Pace
The ubiquitous three-wheeled pods that fly through the streets of Chennai operate in a state of organized chaos that keeps the congested city moving.
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Tourist-Friendly Informality Doesn’t Always Tell the Whole Story
Along Accra’s Oxford Street, foreign visitors haggle with vendors and enjoy the “informal experience.” But in less-touristed areas, street vending means bribes, beatings and midnight demolitions.
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A Handshake Industry for Centuries, Domestic Work Gets Formalized
A new law formalizing household work in the Philippines has some domestic workers wondering how government will fit into an industry long built on personal relationships.
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The Marketplace That Ate Lima’s Beach
Agua Dulce, Lima’s most popular waterfront getaway, now has so many vendors that it’s become more of a shopping center than a respite from the city.
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Underground Mp3 Trade Brings Music to Accra’s Ears
In a city where music is a way of life — but internet access is not — secretive mp3 sellers prowl city streets, providing dance-addicted Ghanaians their fix.
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Slum-Based Radio Stations Pioneer an Underserved Media Market
Pamoja FM has been talking politics and blasting out reggae from Kibera since 2007. And during next week’s elections, its DJs will find themselves faced with a new task: preserving the peace.
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Mixing Science and Faith, Herbal Medicine Markets Offer Cures and Jobs
Sellers of herbal medicines at informal markets find a steady stream of customers even in modern Manila — and swear that their remedies work.
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The White-Knuckle Nights of Bangkok’s Volunteer Ambulance Squads
In a city with only 150 formal ambulances for 12 million residents, ragtag crews of informal first-responders save people from fires, shootings and 16-foot pythons.
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From Tea Vendors to Grocers, All-Night Office Shifts Spawn a Nocturnal Economy
As multinational corporations increasingly work through the night, an informal service economy has emerged to sell their employees everything from snacks to household essentials.
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Grab-and-Go Culture Makes Phone Cards Accra’s New Cash Crop
If mobile phones transformed life in Accra, the telco industry might do it again, as hundreds of thousands of jobs selling phone cards put an army of salesmen on the urban street.
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