We conceptualize informal work in relational terms, examining informality through the relations and interactions between and among a set of actors: capitalists, the state, organizations of informal workers, traditional trade unions, individual informal workers. We consider the leading explanations of the persistent growth of informal employment around the world, suggest that three such explanations (survivalist, structuralist, and “disembedded”) are most compelling, and reframe them in terms of key actors and their relations. Finally, we take a closer act at the agency and strategies of each of those key actors. Throughout, we illustrate with examples from the articles in this special issue.

中文翻译：

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行动中的非正式性：非正式工作的关系观察

我们用关系术语来概念化非正式工作，通过一系列参与者之间的关系和互动来研究非正式性：资本家、国家、非正式工人组织、传统工会、个体非正式工人。我们考虑了世界范围内非正规就业持续增长的主要解释，认为三种这样的解释（生存主义、结构主义和“脱离”）最有说服力，并根据关键参与者及其关系重新定义它们。最后，我们对每个关键参与者的机构和战略采取更密切的行动。在整个过程中，我们使用本期特刊文章中的示例进行说明。