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The World Bank and the Street: (How) Do ‘Doing Business’ Reforms Affect Tanzania’s Micro-traders?

Author

Listed:
  • Michal Lyons

    (Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences, London South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London, SE1 0AA, UK, michal@the-place.net)

  • Colman Titus Msoka

    (Institute of Development Studies, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania, msoka@udsm.ac.tz)

Abstract

The well-documented weaknesses of structural adjustment policies have led to a reconceptualisation of the World Bank’s approach to neo-liberal reforms. The ‘Doing Business’ reforms aim to foster a better climate for business in a number of ways. The main policy documents reject interventions targeted at specific groups but, although they identify informal small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as likely to benefit disproportionately, they specifically exclude micro-enterprises as a target group. The general argument of this paper is that reforms may well impact non-target groups through interactions with several areas of policy and law, with public attitudes and with multiple economic sectors. In particular, it is argued that the exclusion of micro-traders from the reforms contributes to their marginalisation in political and policy arenas, increasing their vulnerability to state intervention. The paper draws on a four-month study conducted by the authors in Tanzania in 2007.

Suggested Citation

  • Michal Lyons & Colman Titus Msoka, 2010. "The World Bank and the Street: (How) Do ‘Doing Business’ Reforms Affect Tanzania’s Micro-traders?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 47(5), pages 1079-1097, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:47:y:2010:i:5:p:1079-1097
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098009353075
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

    1. Brown, Alison, 2015. "Claiming the Streets: Property Rights and Legal Empowerment in the Urban Informal Economy," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 238-248.

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