http://repub.eur.nl/res/aut/27642/ List of Publications en http://repub.eur.nl/static-eur/img/logo.png http://repub.eur.nl http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/37169/ 2012-09-05T00:00:00Z Waste picking has become a prominent activity in the urban landscape, bridging the gap between shortfalls in service delivery and personal income generation in virtually all cities of the developing world. Overcoming previous stigmatization and work fragmentation through organization and dialogue, social economy organizations constituted by waste pickers are emerging as valuable actors in the governance framework, partnering at times with the public and private sectors to fulfil public service provision while aiming to improve the livelihoods of the poor and overcome the institutional nature of poverty. Bogota’s Plan Maestro Integral de Residuos Solidos (PMIRS) serves as a case study to explore these new modalities in service delivery, and to delve into the theoretical dimensions and practical implications of fomenting the inclusion of informal waste pickers into integrated solid waste management systems. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/34825/ 2012-07-01T00:00:00Z Survival and growth-oriented entrepreneurs follow qualitatively different logics. In this article we retrace the scattered previous theorization of this distinction and present a consolidated set of key characteristics of the two types of enterprises, enriched by our own observations in the field. Our main purpose is to typify the different rationalities of the two groups of entrepreneurs. Second, we argue that because most existing interventions are based on the implicit assumption that all entrepreneurs are growth-oriented, they often fail to address the specific needs of survivalists. Finally, we outline an intervention rationale more attuned to the logic of survival entrepreneurs. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/37273/ 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/38846/ 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/37269/ 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z The Redes de Trueque (RT) thrived during the economic crisis of 2001 – 2002 in Argentina and still stand out as one of the largest Complementary Currency System in the world. These local exchange networks reach a large scale during times of severe economic distress, but as large non-state initiatives, they pose a governance problem. Four types of governance systems were structured within the Argentine RT, of varying degrees of sustainability: a) loosely regulated market systems, b) hierarchies, c) associational regional networks, and d) local communities. Based on a four dimensional analytical framework, this paper discusses the rules of governance and sustainability of the governance systems in the RT. It found that some became more sustainable than others in terms of achieving combinations of scale and organisational modes. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/23272/ 2011-05-10T00:00:00Z The paper explores the impact of migrant remittances on local economic development in a locality where more than half of the households have been recipients for at least five years. The study has taken place in rural Zimbabwe and uses an ethnographic method devised for this research. The method was termed “follow the money” and consists of a scrutiny of several rounds of economic exchange of goods and services in the locality, starting when households receive the cash. Consistent with previous research, the study found that remittances boost the consumption of receiving households and have a limited but positive effect on non-receiving households. Part of the cash transfers are used for equipment and investment, mostly in traditional agricultural activities. This study highlights that remittances are responsible for the creation of a significant number of jobs locally, although insecure and low waged, and a small number of growth-oriented businesses, mostly by non-recipients and oriented to the local market. The study highlights the potential for government intervention to further enterprise development with the last group of entrepreneurs in order to localise the longer-term effects of remittances. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/34821/ 2011-02-16T00:00:00Z Abstract: The Redes de Trueque (RT) thrived during the economic crisis of 2001 – 2002 in Argentina and still stand out as the largest Complementary Currency System in the world. These local exchange networks reach a large scale during times of severe economic distress, but as large non-state initiatives, they pose a governance problem. Four types of governance systems were structured within the Argentine RT, of varying degrees of sustainability: a) loosely regulated market systems, b) hierarchies, c) associational regional networks, and d) local communities. Based on a four dimensional analytical framework, this paper discusses the rules of governance and sustainability of the governance systems in the RT. It found that some became more sustainable than others in terms of achieving combinations of scale and organisational modes. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/23829/ 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Erhard Berner, Georgina Gomez & Peter Knorringa: "A little less poor": The logic of subsistence entrepreneurs. A large majority of small- and microentrepreneurs aim primarily for subsistence and security, and, consequently, follow a qualitatively different logic from that of growth-oriented entrepreneurs. By presenting the key characteristics of subsistence and growth-oriented enterprises, this article highlights their distinction. It, furthermore, brings together and illuminates what limited evidence exists concerning the transition between subsistence and growth-oriented enterprises. Although the majority of poorer entrepreneurs follow a subsistence rationality, we argue that most development interventions use an implicit growth-oriented logic and, therefore, fail to address the specifi c needs of small-scale entrepreneurs. We conclude by outlining a more pragmatic policy package, one which starts from the reality that instead of being means to riches, subsistence businesses serve primarily as buffers against slipping deeper into poverty. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/34823/ 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Fair Trade Original has been concentrating its efforts on strengthening its partner organisations to reach levels of competitiveness that will allow them to prosper in both fair trade and mainstream markets. In the first meeting with the Fair Trade Original business consultants, some explained that Dutch consumers used to choose fair trade products based on their own ideological values and personal decisions (the willingness to help others improve their welfare) but this decision is no longer taken at the expense of buying lower quality products. According to the business consultants, Dutch consumers demand attractive, well-designed and well-manufactured products, in which case they are willing to pay a somewhat higher price to help others. In this line, Fair Trade Original has been building upon the capacity of its partners in terms of product development, quality, marketing and logistics. It combines a series of business development and capacity building services for its partner organisations, on the one hand, with a niche market channel in which they sell their own products, on the other. The “graduation” of the partners is seen as reaching the capacity to sell in mainstream markets besides the relatively small fair trade niche market. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/32605/ 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z This paper discusses local currency systems as an instrument of selective spatial closure to mitigate impacts of externally induced changes and to promote endogenous local economic development. Drawing on data collected in Argentina, it was found that local currency systems provided relatively protected economic spaces, thus enabling poor households-and especially women-to launch micro-enterprises and diversify income sources. They also supported existing enterprises by offering an emergency market outlet and, when combined with other measures, by building local trading and production networks. Following recent theory on local economic development, the Argentine case represents an example of local economic regeneration. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/32610/ 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z Executive summary: In the last years, PSO has noticed that a number of Northern NGOs (NNGOs) have established field presence in the South, guided by the conviction that proximity to the target groups and the partners in the South would make their organisations more efficient and effective. However, there are also some negative views on the move, which has even been referred to as a new form of neocolonialism. The strengthening of civil society is a priority for PSO and its member organisations and has motivated the present report. “Field presence” is defined as keeping field offices with a building and an administrative structure and/or permanent officers at the site of the projects (consultants and advisors in the field for a short time are thus excluded). A distinction is made between operational NGOs, doing mostly humanitarian work and post-conflict rehabilitation through field offices and officers, and those doing structural development work, usually through local partners. A total of 29 PSO members have taken part in this report. Unless expressly clarified, they reflect the views of their organisations rather than their own personal opinions. The organisations were selected by PSO: all member organisations with some kind of field presence were invited to participate, as well as some organisations without field presence. Two experts were interviewed: Chiku Malunga in Malawi and Alan Fowler in South Africa. ... http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/32612/ 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z Introduction: There has been a growing awareness since the early seventies that small enterprises are important for economic growth. They are seen as the engines of employment, alleviating poverty and improving equality. The eighties saw an intensification of this interest and a consequent expansion of policy into the sector of micro-enterprises, following the discovery of widespread entrepreneurial activity in both developed and developing countries. In the case of the latter, entrepreneurial activity was particularly salient among the poor. The idea that intuitively followed was that enhancing these small businesses could effectively and rapidly fight poverty. The evidence supporting the view of micro and small enterprises as the engine of growth is in fact not conclusive. Research findings in both developed and developing countries show that job creation and growth are highly concentrated. The great majority of SMEs are not very growth prone. The European Commission found that 50% of total net job creation in the SME sector is created by a mere 4% of these firms (Manu, 1998). Research in Sub-Saharan Africa indicates a similar pattern: the enterprises that significantly contribute to employment growth are in fact just 1% of the SME universe (Mead, 1994). By implication, it would appear that small-enterprises fall into two categories. There is a very large group of them that, for various reasons, will not develop their business beyond a certain (small) scale, and there is a very small group of entrepreneurs who are capable of expanding their business.