IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/injoed/v56y2017icp11-27.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Reaping just what is sown: Low-skills and low-productivity of informal economy workers and the skill acquisition process in developing countries

Author

Listed:
  • Peter-Cookey, Mayowa Abiodun
  • Janyam, Kanda

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to explore the skill acquisition process of informal economy workers and how it affects their current skills and productivity levels. We used a mixed method and multilevel sampling design with the aid of questionnaires and interviews. We found that trainings provided and skill-levels of workers were basic, and this affected their performance and productivity. We recommend that skill development policies for informal economy workers need to be specific, comprehensive, all-inclusive and peculiar to their challenges.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter-Cookey, Mayowa Abiodun & Janyam, Kanda, 2017. "Reaping just what is sown: Low-skills and low-productivity of informal economy workers and the skill acquisition process in developing countries," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 11-27.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:56:y:2017:i:c:p:11-27
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2017.07.005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738059316300657
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2017.07.005?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. World Bank, 2012. "Leading with Ideas : Skills for Growth and Equity in Thailand," World Bank Publications - Reports 2732, The World Bank Group.
    2. Rafael La Porta & Andrei Shleifer, 2014. "Informality and Development," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 28(3), pages 109-126, Summer.
    3. repec:ilo:ilowps:357120 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Martha Alter Chen, 2007. "Rethinking the Informal Economy: Linkages with the Formal Economy and the Formal Regulatory Environment," Working Papers 46, United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs.
    5. Palmer, Robert., 2008. "Skills and productivity in the informal economy," ILO Working Papers 994131423402676, International Labour Organization.
    6. Arvil V. Adams, 2008. "Skills Development in the Informal Sector of Sub-Saharan Africa," World Bank Publications - Reports 28120, The World Bank Group.
    7. Liimatainen, Marjo-Riitta., 2002. "Training and skills acquisition in the informal sector : a literature review," ILO Working Papers 993571203402676, International Labour Organization.
    8. repec:ilo:ilowps:375000 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Kenneth King & Robert Palmer & Rachel Hayman, 2005. "Bridging research and policy on education, training and their enabling environments," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 17(6), pages 803-817.
    10. repec:ilo:ilowps:354173 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Carr, Marilyn. & Chen, Martha Alter., 2002. "Globalization and the informal economy : how global trade and investment impact on the working poor," ILO Working Papers 993541723402676, International Labour Organization.
    12. Hussmanns, Ralf., 2004. "Measuring the informal economy : from employment in the formal sector to informal employment," ILO Working Papers 993750003402676, International Labour Organization.
    13. Vallejo, Bertha & Wehn, Uta, 2016. "Capacity Development Evaluation: The Challenge of the Results Agenda and Measuring Return on Investment in the Global South," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 1-13.
    14. Arvil V. Adams & Sara Johansson de Silva & Setareh Razmara, 2013. "Improving Skills Development in the Informal Sector : Strategies for Sub-Saharan Africa," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 15802.
    15. Chen, Martha Alter. & Jhabvala, Renana. & Lund, F. J., 2002. "Supporting workers in the informal economy : a policy framework," ILO Working Papers 993541733402676, International Labour Organization.
    16. Peter Darvas & Robert Palmer, 2014. "Demand and Supply of Skills in Ghana : How Can Training Programs Improve Employment?," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 18866.
    17. Nicholas Crafts & Mary O'Mahony, 2001. "A perspective on UK productivity performance," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 22(3), pages 271-306, September.
    18. repec:ilo:ilowps:413142 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Ken Mayhew & Andy Neely, 2006. "Improving Productivity--Opening the Black Box," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 22(4), pages 445-456, Winter.
    20. repec:ilo:ilowps:354172 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Richard K. Johanson & Arvil V. Adams, 2004. "Skills Development in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 15028.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Estevão, João & Lopes, José Dias & Penela, Daniela, 2022. "The importance of the business environment for the informal economy: Evidence from the Doing Business ranking," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    2. Arthur Jacobs & Elsy Verhofstadt & Luc Van Ootegem, 2023. "Are more automatable jobs less satisfying?," Working Papers of Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium 23/1059, Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
    3. Lavinia Stan & Florica Stefanescu, 2018. "Pro And Against Informal Economy," Oradea Journal of Business and Economics, University of Oradea, Faculty of Economics, vol. 3(2), pages 78-85, September.
    4. Nobuki Hashiguchi & Shintaro Sengoku & Yasushi Kubota & Shigeo Kitahara & Yeongjoo Lim & Kota Kodama, 2020. "Age-Dependent Influence of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations on Construction Worker Performance," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-21, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Palmer, Robert., 2008. "Skills and productivity in the informal economy," ILO Working Papers 994131423402676, International Labour Organization.
    2. Colin C. Williams, 2023. "A Modern Guide to the Informal Economy," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 18668.
    3. Meagher, Kate, 2019. "Working in chains: African informal workers and global value chains," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 91590, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. Friedrich Schneider & Mangirdas Morkunas & Erika Quendler, 2021. "Measuring the Immeasurable: The Evolution of the Size of Informal Economy in the Agricultural Sector in the EU-15 up to 2019," CESifo Working Paper Series 8937, CESifo.
    5. Amponsah, Mary & Agbola, Frank W. & Mahmood, Amir, 2021. "The impact of informality on inclusive growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: Does financial inclusion matter?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 43(6), pages 1259-1286.
    6. Isaac Addai & Jelena Pokimica, 2012. "An Exploratory Study of Trust and Material Hardship in Ghana," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 109(3), pages 413-438, December.
    7. Thomas Eekhout & Jean-Philippe Berrou & François Combarnous, 2018. "Une exploration des usages des TIC au sein des micro et petites entreprises informelles de Dakar. Note méthodologique sur l’enquête quantitative et premiers résultats," Working Papers hal-02148201, HAL.
    8. Roberto Dell'Anno, 2022. "Theories and definitions of the informal economy: A survey," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(5), pages 1610-1643, December.
    9. Marilyn CARR & Martha CHEN, 2004. "Globalization, social exclusion and gender," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 143(1-2), pages 129-160, March.
    10. repec:ilo:ilowps:420694 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Christophe Nordman & Laure Pasquier-Doumer, 2012. "Vocational Education, On-the-Job Training and Labour Market Integration of Young Workers in Urban West Africa," Working Papers DT/2012/13, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    12. Djidonou, Gbenoukpo Robert & Foster-McGregor, Neil, 2022. "Stagnant manufacturing growth in India: The role of the informal economy," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 528-543.
    13. Farzanegan, Mohammad Reza & Hassan, Mai & Badreldin, Ahmed Mohamed, 2020. "Economic liberalization in Egypt: A way to reduce the shadow economy?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 307-327.
    14. Kate Meagher, 2019. "Working in Chains: African Informal Workers and Global Value Chains," Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy, Centre for Agrarian Research and Education for South, vol. 8(1-2), pages 64-92, April.
    15. Marta Favara & Irajen Appasamy & Marito H. Garcia, 2015. "Nigeria," World Bank Publications - Reports 24454, The World Bank Group.
    16. Ndegwa, Michael K. & De Groote, Hugo & Gitonga, Zachary M., 2015. "Evaluation of artisan training in metal silo construction for grain storage in Africa: Impact on uptake, entrepreneurship and income," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 12-21.
    17. Kate Meagher, 2021. "Informality and the Infrastructures of Inclusion: An Introduction," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 52(4), pages 729-755, July.
    18. Mohammad Reza Farzanegan & Mai Hassan, 2017. "The Impact of Economic Globalization on the Shadow Economy in Egypt," CESifo Working Paper Series 6424, CESifo.
    19. Yamada, Shoko, 2023. "Constructivist analysis of cross-sectional data on varieties of skills: Contextualities and generalities of skills packages and rewards to them in Ghana and Ethiopia," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    20. Bassier, Ihsaan & Budlender, Joshua & Zizzamia, Rocco & Leibbrandt, Murray & Ranchhod, Vimal, 2021. "Locked down and locked out: Repurposing social assistance as emergency relief to informal workers," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    21. Terence Jackson, 2013. "Reconstructing the Indigenous in African Management Research," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 53(1), pages 13-38, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:56:y:2017:i:c:p:11-27. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-educational-development .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.