Informal Sector Activity as Entrepreneurship: Insights from a South African Township
研究通过访谈南非黑人乡镇的小企业主，区分非正规部门中的创业与非创业活动，分析其增长潜力。
In many parts of the world, emphasis has been placed on the so-called as a contributor to the economic welfare of society (Gang and Gangopadhyay 1990; Mebogunje, Linn, and Cohen 1991, Telles 1992). And yet, despite its apparent size and scope, the extent to which this sector is an important source of economic vitality remains unclear. Much of what is labeled informal would seem to be basic survival activity, creating little in the way of employment or wealth (Fall 1989, Ntoula 1989, Segal 1990). The purpose of this study is to further explore the nature of the informal sector, and specifically, to distinguish entrepreneurial from non-entrepreneurial business activity within this sector. Results are described of a series of in-depth interviews with owners from a cross-section of small businesses located in a black South African township. The data are assessed to determine the extent to which informal sector businesses reflect entrepreneurial growth potential. A number of relationships between background, operating, and outcome variables are examined. The Informal Sector There is no generally accepted definition of the informal sector, which helps to explain large discrepancies in reports regarding its size in a given country (Abedian and DeSmidt 1990, Sethuraman 1981). Nonetheless, the informal sector typically refers to economic activities not recorded in the national accounts, and not subject to formal rules of contract, licensing, labor inspection, reporting and taxation (International Labor Organization 1984). These activities can be characterized in terms of ease of market entry, reliance on indigenous resources, small scale of operation, labor intensity, skills acquired from outside the formal school system, and markets that are unregulated and competitive (Marius 1987). While some of these businesses are one-person operations, in developing countries there tends to be heavy reliance on the family unit (Berger 1991). Specific roles are likely to evolve for children, adult males, and older relatives. Frequently, the female head of the family is the driving force behind the business, providing the skills, hard labor, stamina, and an unwavering desire to keep the business going. Alternatively, the male head of household may go back and forth, looking for formal sector jobs but failing back on the family business much of the time. The motivation behind most informal sector businesses is generally assumed to be personal survival, as opposed to return on investment (Rauch 1991). Although this sector will tend to have rich and poor components, most of these businesses provide a subsistence existence. Returns tend to be low and intermittent, security and stability are minimal; working hours are long, and working conditions are poor (Devarintert and Watson 1981). Thus, the scope and importance of informal activities will tend to parallel the levels of poverty and underemployment in an economy (Marius 1987). The tremendous growth of this sector in recent decades is also said to parallel urbanization, with migration to cities in developing countries far outpacing the employment capacity of modern manufacturing and other formal sector activities (Sethuraman 1981). Informal sector businesses are generally assumed to demonstrate low levels of productivity, especially given their labor intensity, limited skill pool, and small scale of operation. However, it has also been argued that this sector is quite efficient at generating job opportunities and satisfying basic population needs at very low cost (Koray 1991, Staubus 1989). It is assumed by others that the structure or make-up of this sector is relatively homogeneous in developing economies, but some evidence also exists of significant diversity (Berger 1991, Fall 1989, Telles 1992). There appear to be disproportionate numbers of retail trade and service-oriented enterprises, but various country studies have reported sizeable numbers of manufacturing, metal working, construction, assembly, and wholesale operations (Lubell and Zarour 1990, Staubus 1989). …