CWW212 | Informality and the World of Work

Recent data indicate that a majority of the working population world-wide are engaged in informal forms of work or work in economic units that are by and large fall outside formal regulation.

This course examines the reasons for such work arrangements falling outside the scope of the ‘formal’. It focuses on the challenges in defining, identifying and measuring informality and also explores what forms of work continue to remain outside the formal/informal divide.

The course examines specific forms of informality across various sectors and jurisdictions around the world. The course also seeks to understand why economic development has been accompanied by high level of informality, how social regulation plays a role in shaping informality, The course examines the various legal and policy options to address the decent work deficits and vulnerability that are a feature of informality.