Pernicious assimilation: reframing the integration of the urban informal economy in Southern Africa

Kamete, A. Y. (2018) Pernicious assimilation: reframing the integration of the urban informal economy in Southern Africa. Urban Geography, 39(2), pp. 167-189. (doi: 10.1080/02723638.2017.1298219)

Abstract

This paper argues that many of the official attempts to “integrate” the urban informal economy into the mainstream economy are fundamentally flawed. An unpacking of the “integrative” agenda as pursued by planning and other governmental practices reveals that “integration”, as currently practiced, does not herald the mainstreaming of the informal economy. Drawing on research in Zimbabwe and evidence from other countries in Southern Africa, I argue that what we witness is a sinister stripping away of the lifeblood of informality. This malicious form of integration entails crippling Faustian bargains. In the end, this pernicious assimilation insidiously does away with that which makes informality a livelihood haven for the majority of urbanites. I conclude that the duplicitous integration is unworkable and leaves the big questions of inclusion untouched, hence the persistence of the “problem” of informality.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Kamete, Professor Amin
• Authors: Kamete, A. Y.
• Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General)
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
• Research Group: Governance, Space and Place
• Journal Name: Urban Geography
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 0272-3638
• ISSN (Online): 1938-2847
• Published Online: 10 March 2017
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
• First Published: First published in Governance, Space and Place 39(2):167-189
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher