INFORMAL ECONOMY IN PAN-AFRICA: A REVIEW AND DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

The informal economy is an important phenomenon in African countries, accounting for up to 90% of the jobs in the lowest income sub-Saharan countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Managerial research about Africa,... [ view full abstract ]

The informal economy is an important phenomenon in African countries, accounting for up to 90% of the jobs in the lowest income sub-Saharan countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Managerial research about Africa, therefore, cannot be developed without a better understanding of the informal economy in the Continent as well as the opportunities it brings and challenges it faces. Research on the informal economy has started in the 1970s and has been conducted mainly by economists and sociologists. The managerial and organizational aspects of the informal economy in Africa, however, remain largely under examined. We reviewed the literature on the informal economy in Africa. By surveying 102 studies published from 1992 to 2017 in English-, French-, and Portuguese-speaking outlets, we provide a state of this literature and directions that can further advance research on the informal economy in particular and on management in Africa in general.