ABSTRACT The informal economy is an important phenomenon in African countries, accounting for up to 90% of the jobs in the lowest income Sub-Saharan countries such as Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Management research about Africa, therefore, cannot be complete without a closer look at and a better understanding of the informal economy on the continent, the opportunities it brings and challenges it faces. Research on the informal economy started during the early 1970s has been conducted mainly by economists and sociologists. Managerial and organizational knowledge of the informal economy in Africa, however, remains largely underdeveloped. We reviewed the literature on the informal economy taking a pan-African approach by surveying 102 studies published from 1992 to 2017 in English, French and Portuguese language outlets. We summarize the current state of the literature, identify seven general themes, raise pertinent research questions, and suggest directions to further advance research about the informal economy with a focus on management and organization knowledge in all of Africa.

中文翻译：

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泛非的非正式经济：文献综述，主题，问题和管理研究的方向

摘要在非洲国家，非正规经济是一种重要现象，占中低收入撒哈拉以南国家（如中非共和国和刚果民主共和国）的工作岗位的90％以上。因此，如果不仔细研究并更好地了解非洲大陆的非正规经济，非洲带来的机遇和面临的挑战，就不可能完成对非洲的管理研究。1970年代初开始的对非正规经济的研究主要是由经济学家和社会学家进行的。但是，对非洲非正规经济的管理和组织知识仍大大欠发达。我们调查了1992年至2017年间以英语发表的102项研究，以泛非洲的方式回顾了有关非正规经济的文献，法语和葡萄牙语商店。我们总结了文献的现状，确定了七个总体主题，提出了相关的研究问题，并提出了进一步推进非正规经济研究的方向，重点是整个非洲的管理和组织知识。