People working in the informal economy are disproportionately affected by Covid-19. They don’t benefit from the financial reliefs provided to those formally employed and face increased risks of falling ill or into debt traps.
In this video, our researchers Keetie Roelen, Max Gallien, and Phil Mader describe the threats and argue that social safety nets need to go further to protect the most vulnerable.
Keetie Roelen is the Director of the Centre for Social Protection at IDS. Read her piece: “People in poverty bear the brunt of Covid-19, and the worst is yet to come”
Max Gallien is the lead of the International Centre for Tax and Development’s (ICTD) research programme on Informality and Taxation. Read his piece: “To fight Covid-19, only the formal economy is getting tax breaks. The informal economy may be asked to foot the bill”
Phil Mader is a Research Fellow in Business Markets and the State research cluster at IDS. Read his piece: “The informal sector urgently needs cash and debt relief”
Learn more about the issues of Covid-19 and the informal economy in the International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD) summary.
See all IDS resources on Covid-19.
This video was produced in partnership with the ICTD.
Key contacts
