The aim of this paper is to challenge the characterization of paid informal work as a form of employment based on exploitative relations that should be eradicated. Using empirical evidence gathered through structured interviews with 511 households in deprived and affluent neighborhoods in...

Paid informal work has been conventionally viewed as a barrier to social inclusion. Conceived as exploitative low-paid employment conducted by marginalised populations for unscrupulous employers, such work has been considered to prevent social inclusion, in that it denies employees access to the...

The aim of this paper is to show that the extensive and growing sphere of paid informal work is not the same everywhere. Instead, we identify distinct socio-spatial differences in its character and the reasons why people engage in such work. Drawing upon interviews with 511 households in higher-...

With the cultural turn/s in urban studies, participation in alternative retail channels (i.e. informal and/or second-hand modes of goods acquisition) has been reconceptualised as motivated more by the search for fun, sociality, distinction, discernment, the spectacular and so forth rather than...

This paper evaluates critically the representation of the underground economy in the advanced economies as comprised of marginalised populations working ‘off the books' as employees for wholly or partially underground businesses under exploitative conditions. It reveals that this ‘thin'...

This paper evaluates self-help and mutual aid as tools for tackling social exclusion and promoting social cohesion in deprived urban neighbourhoods. Highlighting the rationales for using self-help and mutual aid to combat social exclusion and cohesion and then drawing upon case-study evidence...

In the light of high unemployment in deprived neighbourhoods, this paper considers whether community exchange is being used as a coping strategy. Examining its current magnitude and character as well as the barriers to participation in a particular deprived neighbourhood, this paper finds that...

The aim of this paper is draw out some policy lessons from a study of self-help activity amongst 200 households in deprived urban neighbourhoods of Southampton. Commencing with a critique of the popular prejudice that promoting self-help should be opposed in case it leads to a demise of formal...

Drawing upon case study evidence from Southampton, the aim of this paper is to show that paid informal work is not merely an economically-motivated peripheral form of employment that should be eradicated due to its fraudulent and exploitative nature. Instead, paid informal work is revealed to be...

To evaluate the validity of distinguishing between opportunity and necessity entrepreneurship, this paper investigates the motives of entrepreneurs who conduct some or all of their transactions on an off-the-books basis. Reporting empirical evidence from England on the motives of such...