Urban Informality, ‘Informals’, and The State

Informal work, labour and lives loom large and expanding in the Global South, especially in the backdrop of rising urban inequalities. With over 90% of the Indian economy estimated to be in the ‘informal sector’, this category becomes an urgently important area of investigation. In this paper, I wish to problematize the category of the ‘informal sector’ in the urban context, as understood from the policy lens, as well as the associated dominance of the ‘enterprise approach’ (classifying specific enterprises as informal) often governed by the economists turned policy makers. I would therefore attempt to establish the startling overlaps between ‘informality of work’ and ‘informality of living’, and shall call the people involved in these informalities as the ‘informals’. More importantly, I critically evaluate the role of the state and the idea of regulation with regards to the informals. Finally, I also try to read informality as a processual and relative question with respect to the ever-changing landscape in the city, such as the encompassing of the expanding financial capital.