Urban informal sector in a developing economy c.2

This book using detailed data on the activities and workers in the informal sector of Ahmedabad city makes an in-depth analysis of the role and problems of the small sector and its potential for employment and income generation. It provides, for the first time, a concrete data base on the extent, structure and functioning of the informal sector in an Indian city. While vividly bringing out the role and contribution of the informal sector in an urban economy, the study throws up evidence questioning the much advocated strategy emphasising this sector.

The author's finding and conclusions are out of line of the current thinking on strategy of development in general, and of urban development in particular, and are bound to evoke controversy and debate. Being the first study on the subject, it is expected to evince keen interest among academics, policy makers, urban planners, and international organisations like the World Bank and ILO which have been espousing the cause of informal sector in the developing countries.