The Informal Economy: Women’s role in Economic Growth in Vietnam
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Authors
Bruckenstein, Rebecca
Issue Date
2015-03-27
Type
Presentation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Vietnam , Women , Economic growth
Alternative Title
Abstract
The nations of the Global South are struggling to find their place in the global marketplace and with that a way to balance multiple fronts such as modernization. This includes a balance of social and economic growth, as well. Vietnam isn’t any different. Vietnam is a transition economy faced with the clash of modernization and a more open marketplace versus the historical one party state centrally determined economy. This change has allowed for the formation of an informal economy of mostly women street vendors, this economy is not legitimized but to some extent tolerated by the central government. This lack of legitimacy ultimately affects the economic growth of Vietnam as their incomes are not taxed or calculated into the nations GDP, this ultimately affects the economic cycle of Vietnam in the view of the global marketplace, like many of its counterparts in the Global South. This poster postulates that by integrating the informal economy into the calculations of national economic growth it will help to implement social growth programs such as ; a) access to affordable or free education to the families of street vendors and the rural poor, b) a grassroots organization formed by the women street vendors to understand and voice their concerns, and c) the formation of a mentorship program that involves successful female Vietnamese entrepreneurs and the local members of the informal economies and their families to provide guidance on how to navigate the system.