Polese, Abel
2023
What is informality? (Mapping) “the art of bypassing the state” in Eurasian spaces - and beyond
Eurasian Geography and Economics
64
3
322-364
Despite a growing number of studies featuring “informality”in their title, including many from the post-socialist region,little has been done to reach a consensus on what informalitymeans, how to measure it and, more generally, to develop itinto a widely agreed and shared theorization. Instead, andparadoxically, given that a significant number of studies relyon intuitive understandings of the phenomenon, oftenintended as “the opposite of formal”, this increased attentionto informality has contributed to topical confusion ratherthan better defining what informality may be. By surveyingand cross-comparing regional and world literature on inform-ality, this article attempts to provide a coherent frameworkfor delineating and understanding “informality studies”, out-lining its main characteristics and eventually better under-stand its applicability and boundaries. While doing this, itcalls for more attention to the political dimensions of inform-ality and ways in which measurement of informality can beused both as a proxy for quality of governance and a deepergrasping of state–citizen relations.
Polese_2023_What_is_Informality.pdf
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