The Societal Significance of Informal Economics during the COVID-19 Pandemic in an African City

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorOwusu-Sekyere, E.
dc.contributor.authorAlhassan, H.
dc.contributor.authorJengre, E.
dc.contributor.authorAmoah, S.T.
dc.contributor.authorOpare-Asamoah, K.
dc.contributor.authorToku, A.
dc.date.accessioned2023-04-21T09:37:56Z
dc.date.available2023-04-21T09:37:56Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.descriptionResearch Articleen_US
dc.description.abstractThe COVID-19 pandemic compelled many African countries to make decisions that lim ited livelihood choices. This article examines how informal traders (IT) in Kumasi, Ghana responded to the COVID-19. It explores the livelihood capacities, socioeconomic, socio cultural, and sociopolitical values of informal economics. Using data from multiple sources, the purchase and sale of personal protective equipment (PPE) emerged as the dominant livelihood activity. The results show that IT innovated their way of trading, realigned liveli hood activities, and created cross-sectoral networks that enhanced social cohesion. The emerging informal market catalyzed spin-off activities that linked values of the informal sector to the public, distributing agencies, producing companies, and the government. We argue that IT constitute a “natural” and “indispensable” share of Ghana’s urban economic, cultural, and governance space. The values of IT expressed within and between these distinct societal spheres should be amplified in the development discourses of countries like Ghanaen_US
dc.identifier.otherdoi:10.3167/IJSQ.2022.120103
dc.identifier.urihttp://ugspace.ug.edu.gh:8080/handle/123456789/38875
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherInternational Journal of Social Qualityen_US
dc.subjectCOVID-19en_US
dc.subjectinformal economicsen_US
dc.subjectintersectoral networksen_US
dc.titleThe Societal Significance of Informal Economics during the COVID-19 Pandemic in an African Cityen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
The-Societal-Significance-of-Informal-Economics-during-the-COVID19-Pandemic-in-an-African-CityInternational-Journal-of-Social-QualityUnited-States.pdf
Size:
1.72 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

Department of Economics