The other face of the Zimbabwean crisis: The black market and dealers during Zimbabwe's decade of economic meltdown, 2000–2008 (original) (raw)
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Informal trading has been in existence since time of immemorial. In Zimbabwe, the phenomenal growth of informal trading is deeply rooted in the economic policies which government pursued especially after the first decade of political independence in 1980. The Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP) from 1991 to 1995 ushered in a new era on the economic landscape, with trade liberalisation being an integral cog of the programme. This opened up the economy, inviting competition against locally produced products. Restructuring ensued across economic sectors, leading to retrenchments. The informal sector became a natural reservoir for the majority of those people who were retrenched from the formal sector. The debilitating economic conditions which obtained in the years preceding the adoption of a multi-currency regime in early 2009 led to further a contraction of the formal sector. Those deposited involuntarily in the informal sector are facing a raft of challenges among them, ...
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One of the major development concerns in recent years, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries, has been the rapid growth of urban population coupled with low industrial growth. This mismatch has led to high unemployment levels as most companies have either scaled down or completely shut down. High poverty levels have intensified in urban areas and this has facilitated the mushrooming of the informal economy such as vending, operating tuck-shops and various micro enterprises as an adaptation strategy to failing economies. This study took a micro-level approach by exploring the role of the informal economy as a source livelihood in the city of Bulawayo.
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family members, friends, 'illegal' gold miners and buyers, news men and women from Gweru Times and Midlands Observer, and former colleagues at Midlands State University and colleagues at the University of KwaZulu Natal. Yet there is one man who more than any other deserves special mention. My profound and foremost gratitude goes to Professor David B Moore of the Economic History and
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JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, 2018
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International Journal of World Policy and Development Studies, 2021
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