Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book investigates how the global social protection agenda actually touches down in particular contexts and how it relates to the realities of informal workers. It presents a broad definition of the informal economy, including self-employment in informal enterprises as well as wage employment in informal jobs. The book explores the emerging collective forms of informal transport workers and their potential for enabling access to social protection measures in Tanzania. It argues that even though the micro-trade sector in Tanzania is poorly coordinated, recently, a few attempts at broader coalitions and cooperation have taken place pointing towards a future strengthening of representational power. The book shows how micro-traders in Kenya access both formal and informal social protection services. It provides a mostly quantitative assessment of the extent to which informal worker associations facilitate access to both formal and informal social protection measures.