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Synopsis An important part of all developing economies is the informal sector, which accounts for a significant proportion of employment generation. The informal economy consists of not only wage and self-employment in the informal sector but casual (wage) employment in the formal sector. This sector is not registered, and so does not appear in official statistics and is not liable to pay taxes and is therefore not involved in illegal activities such as drug peddling. At a time when the state is withdrawing from business activity and with downsizing, the private sector must help provide employment. This book is a collection of research articles on various aspects of the informal economy. It looks at informal finance and the township and village enterprises in China, which is also a segment of the informal economy.