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Copyright of Werkstatt Geschichte (Transcript Verlag) is the property of Transcript Verlag and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article examines the debate on the shadow economy in the 1980s. It shows how proponents of neoliberalism used this debate to publicly promote their ideas and underscore their plausibility in different countries and regions of the world. At their core, these neoliberal economists, politicians, economic journalists, and representatives of international organizations argued that the shadow economy consisted of informally operating small-scale entrepreneurs whose economic success was hampered by misguided government intervention. They therefore called for economic reforms aimed at changing not only the shadow economy but also the formal economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nietzsche - Studien is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

These comments reflect on the articles of this issue from the perspective of non-Western, and in particular African labor historiography. This contribution emphasizes the fluidity and ambiguity of established, often Eurocentric concepts. Perspectives from the “Global South" not only tend to destabilize notions like wage labor, the working class, or the “standard employment pattern" (“Normalarbeitsverhältnis") that used to be taken for granted. They also provide the opportunity to pose new questions about German and Western developments. Historians of labor working with a global perspective have to confront the challenge of focusing on the necessarily specific historical trajectories of certain localities and specific patterns of regional migration without losing sight of the broader context. They see shared entanglements as being bi- or multi-directional rather than uni-directional and promote an approach that does not exclusively rely on models taken from a single period or nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1970s, informal labor has spread from the Global South, where it was discovered, to the Global North. In spite of what modernization theory says, informal labor has not disappeared, but is, instead, increasing worldwide. It affects not only employment, but also labor processes. To tackle the resulting conceptual provocations we must explore transnational perspectives. An analysis of both interconnected and uneven development will help debunk the notion that insecure labor is a timeless “normality". It is important to overcome labor sociology's exclusive focus on a seemingly stable corporate microcosm and to question current debates on insecure labor that ignore the impact capital has had in its development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seit den 1960er-Jahren spielt der Tourismussektor innerhalb der thailändischen Wirtschaft eine wichtige Rolle und ist durch ein stetiges Wachstum gekennzeichnet. Für über 50 Prozent der Personen, die in Thailand ihren Lebensunterhalt durch informelle Beschäftigung (Schattenwirtschaft) sichern, stellt dieser boomende Sektor eine bedeutende Verdienstquelle dar. Unter Verwendung qualitativer Methoden (Interviews und teilnehmende Beobachtung) untersucht dieser Artikel den touristisch informellen Sektor des Ortes Patong auf der Insel Phuket und stellt sowohl die Entstehung und den Verlauf als auch die Akteurs- und Angebotsstruktur dieses Sektors dar. Die aktuelle Entwicklung wird dabei verglichen mit dem Modell Vorlaufers, das die Entwicklung einer staatlich geförderten Tourismusdestination beschreibt. Entgegen der Annahme dieses Modells, mit einem Wachstum des Tourismussektors würde der Anteil an formeller gegenüber der informellen Beschäftigung steigen, zeigt sich, dass kein Rückgang des touristisch informellen Sektors zu erkennen ist, dieser weiterhin ein integraler Bestandteil der Tourismuswirtschaft Patongs geblieben ist und eine wichtige Verdienstquelle für MigrantInnen und die lokale Bevölkerung darstellt. --- Since the 1960s, tourism has become a vital part of the Thai economy and has been characterised by a steady growth. For more than 50 percent of all Thais working in the informal sector (shadow economy), the booming tourism industry represents an important source of income. In this article Patong on Phuket serves as a case study for examining the network of actors, the touristic supply structure as well as its evolution and developments over the years by using qualitative methods (interviews and participant observation). The empirical data will then be compared to Vorlaufer’s scheme on the development of a state-sponsored tourist destination. In contrast to the scheme’s assumption of a decline of the informal and a rise of the formal sector, the empirical results show that the level of informal activity remains on a high level and can be described as an integral part of Patong’s tourism industry. In addition, revenues from the informal sector serve as an important source of income for migrants and locals.

This article focuses on black markets in Poland from 1944 until the end of the Soviet Union in 1989, and on how the history and geography of a city affected the structure of the black markets. Several topics are discussed, including how the Carpathian Mountains influenced the development of the black market in the city of Zakopane (in the Polish Podhale region), how the restructuring of the national borders in Europe after World War II affected politics, the economy, and the culture in Poland, and how the Polish black markets on the outskirts of cities were often used for private business dealings, were more traditional, had less items for sale, and were ignored by the authorities compared to markets in the city center that were more modern and had more business.

The article discusses black market activity between East Germans and Poles particularly centered around the city of Leipzig during the period 1956 to 1989. This clandestine trade is viewed as a consumer culture that arose "from below" in an economic situation characterized by shortages of consumer goods in the German Democratic Republic and Poland. Informal and initially illicit exchange networks for goods are described as evolving from spontaneous help between acquaintances to professionalized smuggling and dealing activities. The negative attitude of the government and sectors of the public to such activity is reviewed.

The last South African census of 2001 is a data source extremely varied and accurate on the state of the population. More rigorous than the last one, it reveals the will of the statistical services to provide information at different spatial scales and to produce more or less aggregated data (persons or households). Some topics were the subject of a thorough reflexion (definition of the concept of “urban” for example) but others still need to be improved (approach of the informal economic sector). However, it provides new data, such as the transportation means used by the commuters. It opens a new era in the history of demographic statistics, accessible to all, and it allows for comparative studies.

The article discusses the boom in the economy of Cambodia and the reasons behind the success. It states that in 2004, Cambodia's economy was regarded as a loser, but in 2007, it is praised as a kind of go-getter. In general, Cambodia's transition into a free market economy and the contribution of many economic sectors in particular, are the main reasons for Cambodia's change in economy.

Copyright of Neue Soziale Bewegungen is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article looks at the informal ("shadow") component of the contemporary political system of Uzbekistan and addresses the issue of how it interacts with the official part of the state. It is argued that contemporary political economy in Uzbekistan is not a system based on "clan" affiliation, headed by the president balancing between different "clans". The article describes the interaction that evolved between the central authority (the president) and strategic groups in the area of resource distribution. Obviously, this interaction also has a decisive influence on the political and socioeconomic life of society in these regions. The situation is further aggravated by weak differentiation of boundaries between state and society a legacy of the Soviet era. The said interaction, however, cannot take any official institutional form due to its criminal nature. as seen from the perspective of both international and domestic law. That is why it is achieved through the set of "shadow" practices in the domain of a new statehood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the concept of an "underground economy" in Germany, questioning how it continues to flourish despite increased penalties. The terms underground economy and "Schwarzarbeit" (illicit employment) are discussed. Methods of determining the extent of the informal economy are presented, including population surveys, assessment of cash flow, and examining electricity use. A comparison of black markets in European countries and the role of the dual economy is discussed.

This paper analyses the patterns of involvement in the informal economy by households in post-communist countries between 1992 and 1998. Countries covered include Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, FRY, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Belarus. The analysis covers the extent to which households depend upon the formal economy or the informal economies, including household production, the social economy, the cash economy for their means of livelihood. In the paper it is argued that whilst countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary have seen an expansion in the formal economy and a decline in the informal economies, other countries such as Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria have seen an expansion of the informal economies and decline of the formal over the same period. The analysis also finds that whilst the formal economy and the cash economy is important for better educated and better off households to improve their standard of living, the household economy is more a safety net for poor, rural households with older members. The analysis draws upon the New Democracies Barometer for 1992 (N = 10,160), 1994 (N = 10,709), 1996 (N = 10,069) and 1998 (N = 11,296). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the shadow economy is increasing in almost all OECD countries this paper analyses the theoretical reasons why people work in the shadow economy. Three approaches are presented, models of time allocation, transaction models and models of tax evasion. The major reason for a growing shadow economy is the rising tax and social security burdens, increasing government regulation and decreasing tax morale. The latest empirical results from Austria, Germany and Switzerland are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing shadow economy in Germany is a challenge to the welfare state and economic policy. The burden of taxation and social security contributions combined with rising state regulatory activities are the main causes for the increase in the shadow economy. The consequences are ambivalent, since illicit work can increase welfare and boost institutional change but can also lead to a crisis of the welfare state. A substantial reform of the social security system and the tax system can reduce the incentives to use the ‘exit option’. In addition, the use of the ‘voice-option’ must become more attractive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Soziologie is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Soziologie is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Soziologie is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Soziologie is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses the informal work sector in a time of Western economic crisis and hard-core unemployment. Informal work that is done outside of one's gainful occupation and is distinct from house-keeping might include do-it-yourself projects, charitable activity, and otherwise unpaid labor that does not consume natural resources.

A report is presented from a November 2012 conference in Kassel, Germany on labor policies of governments around the world. Topics of discussion include the alleged disappearance of the work-life balance, the alleged endangerment of the ability of an occupation to guarantee an existence, and the allegedly increased importance of informal employment.

These news briefs on social policy activity in Germany during the summer of 1985 include reports on industrial worker wages, repatriates to Portugal, and informal economic sectors.

A reply to the immediately preceding defense by Matthias Till of his article is presented. The writer cites two articles written by himself on quantifying gray market income. The fact that well-to-do citizens may also have significant unreported income is said not to affect the study of poverty and to involve only 5-10% of that "shadow" economy.

The article replies to the immediately preceding critique. The author dispute the notion that gray market income is largely confined to the poorer class or that official income reports alone are satisfactory in poverty research. Ill-gotten gains and honoraria, as well as pensions present accounting challenges to poverty researchers.

The article presents a critique of the previous article on poverty in this issue. The author finds that the conclusions may be distorted insofar as the authors have failed to account for the "shadow" economy. Many lower and middle income individuals supplement their wages on the gray or black market, and those supplements go unreported as income or in empirical poverty research.