2022/06/30 by Desmond Tutu Ayentimi, Hossein Ali Abadi, John Burgess · 45 citations
Business, Management and Accounting · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Engineering · Social Sciences · #Agency (philosophy) #Business #Developing country #Digital Economy and Work Transformation #Economic growth #Economics #Engineering #Gig economy #Informal sector #Law #Norm (philosophy) #Political science #Sharing Economy and Platforms #Sociology #Taxation and Compliance Studies #Work (physics)
paper · doi:10.1177/00221856221111693
published in Journal of Industrial Relations 65(1), 112-125 (SAGE Publishing)
openalex publication_date 2022/06/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) economies are entrenched in traditional economic and employment structures driven by the informal sector. There is a small and regulated formal sector, built upon public sector employment. Unlike the discussion of gig work in advanced capitalist economies, the development of gig work in SSA is within an environment where employment standards and labour regulations are largely absent. The concern in developed countries is that gig work erodes the norm of regulated employment; in developing economies gig work is part of the norm of informal and unregulated employment. Gig work in SSA offers the potential for formalisation of production and work, new forms of agency, and supporting decent work. However, the challenge is how to realise this potential. The role of platforms in developing and transmitting decent work protocols into gig contracts is discussed as a potential means for supporting decent work in SSA.