Lecture 3: Disjuncture and the Politics of Livelihood (21st January)
27 views5 pages

Disjuncture and the Politics of Livelihood
•Dominant discourse on globalization as a “good” thing
•Affects normal people whereby they don’t actually experience the
goodness of globalization
oThe rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer.
•Not necessarily about class, the poor being exploited and such.
oDeeper understanding on thing such as gender and race, how
differences between people are created and lived through
globalization.
•Informal economy (working def.)
o“under the table” (in absence of jobs)
onot monitored by state
onot included in the GDP
oblack market
oAccess to visa/citizenship?
o Labor that exist outside the formal wage labor relations, that
exist outside state regulations. Almost “illegal” because they do
not take part in the wage labor market governed by the state.
oExamples
Sex trade (in many cases, it is part of the informal
economy)
Illegal substances being traded and/or sold.
Street vendors?
•Hair salons, shoe shiners, etc.
oBoth economic and social. One should not look at Informal
economy separately but it is part of the same whole along with
the formal economy.
Informal economy increased in parts of the developing
world.
www.notesolution.com

•“business”
Rural to urban in order to sell their products, to take part
in this informal economy
There are ambitions and aspirations but the problem is
that they can’t find jobs in the formal economy. Therefore,
the informal economy becomes much more important to
them.
•Role of the state
oPolice force
oOversees the formal economy
//
Role(s) of globalization
•IMF/WB in influencing the local economies of these countries
•SAP – Structural Adjustment Policies
oEncourages privatization and free trade
•Privatization
oPublic assets are taken over by private companies in order to
have a profit. (price goes up for the consumers, consumers are
the citizens)
•Free Trade
oNot everyone starts on some common ground
oEx: rice imported is cheaper than rice grown “at home”.
• .;. informal economy became dominant in most countries in the
developing world.
Gender
•men usually working in the formal economy
•women usually working in the informal economy.
www.notesolution.com