Publication

This paper aims to restructure the informal institutions’ debate by arguing that the social economic landscape in which formal and informal institutions operate in Africa is more complex and does not always render itself to bandit economies or violent conflict. The informal social relations and associations analysed in it play multiple roles, such as providing services and clamouring for social justice, as well as being avenues for mobilizing social finance and regulating members’ behaviour. These roles are important for production, redistribution, protection and transformation of society and markets. These informal social relations and associations have been shaped by historical processes, including being completely ignored by policy, legal and regulatory frameworks, as well as culture and their own ingenuity.