WIEGO
Encyclopedia
Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) is a global action -research
- policy
network that seeks to improve the status of the working poor in the informal economy
. Linked to the SEWA
-inspired international movement of women in the informal economy, WIEGO has a diverse constituency cutting across the fields of action, research, and policy-making.
The WIEGO network was founded in April 1997 by a group of activists, researchers, and development practitioners, based around the globe, who worked on the informal economy and shared a concern that the working poor, especially women, in the informal economy were not well understood, valued, or supported in policy circles or by the international development community.
The WIEGO secretariat is currently located at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations
at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
. The International Coordinator is Harvard Lecturer in Public Policy Professor Martha Chen
and the founding steering committee chair was Indian civil rights leader Dr. Ela Bhatt
.
WIEGO seeks to help the working poor in the informal economy, especially women, achieve increased:
WIEGO involves membership-based organizations (MBOs) of informal workers in the identification, prioritization and design of its activities, which involve a mix of:
s, research and statistics institutions, national government
s, and international development agencies.
The founders of WIEGO decided, at the outset, that the WIEGO network should draw its membership from and form alliances with three constituencies:
MBOs of informal workers that are active in WIEGO can become Institutional Members. Individuals from the other two constituencies who are active in WIEGO can become Individual Members. By the end of 2010, the WIEGO network had grown to include 144 Members – 15 Institutional and 129 Individual Members – from 29 countries.
A 10-person Board of Directors governs the WIEGO network. Board members are drawn from WIEGO’s three constituencies. The Board has two committees: a Management (or executive) Committee and a Financial Committee.
, especially women, in the informal economy
. By carrying out research to improve information and statistics available on the informal economy the network intends to help organizations of informal workers in their efforts to promote national policies that would directly benefit the working poor, especially women, in the economy.
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
- policy
Policy
A policy is typically described as a principle or rule to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome. The term is not normally used to denote what is actually done, this is normally referred to as either procedure or protocol...
network that seeks to improve the status of the working poor in the informal economy
Informal economy
The informal sector or informal economy as defined by governments, scholars, banks, etc. is the part of an economy that is not taxed, monitored by any form of government, or included in any gross national product , unlike the formal economy....
. Linked to the SEWA
SEWA
The Self-Employed Women's Association of India is a trade union for poor, self-employed women workers in India. SEWA was founded in 1972 by the noted Gandhian and civil rights leader Dr Ela Bhatt. SEWA's main office is located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and it works in several states of India. SEWA...
-inspired international movement of women in the informal economy, WIEGO has a diverse constituency cutting across the fields of action, research, and policy-making.
The WIEGO network was founded in April 1997 by a group of activists, researchers, and development practitioners, based around the globe, who worked on the informal economy and shared a concern that the working poor, especially women, in the informal economy were not well understood, valued, or supported in policy circles or by the international development community.
The WIEGO secretariat is currently located at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations
Hauser center for nonprofit organizations
The Harvard University Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, located in Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, promotes teaching, scholarship, and service to the nonprofit sector across the university. The Center's concerns include philanthropy, nonprofit organizations,...
at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. The International Coordinator is Harvard Lecturer in Public Policy Professor Martha Chen
Martha Chen
Martha Alter Chen is an American academic, scholar and social worker, who presently a Lecturer in Public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and International Coordinator of the global research-policy-action network WIEGO . Dr...
and the founding steering committee chair was Indian civil rights leader Dr. Ela Bhatt
Ela Bhatt
Ela Ramesh Bhatt is the founder of the Self-Employed Women's Association of India . A lawyer by training, Bhatt is a respected leader of the international labour, cooperative, women, and micro-finance movements who has won several national and international awards.-Early life:Ela Bhatt was born in...
.
Mission and Goals
WIEGO believes all workers should have equal economic opportunities and rights and be able to determine the conditions of their work and lives. WIEGO works to improve the status of the working poor, especially women, in the informal economy through increased organization and representation; improved statistics and research; more inclusive policy processes; and more equitable trade, labour, urban, and social protection policies.WIEGO seeks to help the working poor in the informal economy, especially women, achieve increased:
- voice by fostering more and stronger organizations of the working poor in the informal economy and promoting their representation in policy-making and rule-setting processes;
- visibility by improving statistics and promoting research, policy analysis, and good practice documentation on the informal economy; and
- validity by highlighting that the working poor in the informal economy contribute to the economy and to society and by promoting them as legitimate targets of economic as well as social policies.
Programmes and Activities
WIEGO’s activities centre around five core programmes; special projects and initiatives are also undertaken.- Organization and Representation works to strengthen membership-based organizations (MBOs) of informal workers, especially those that involve women as members and leaders, and to build sector-specific networks of such organizations.
- Statistics encourages the collection and use of data on the informal economy as an essential component of official statistics; works to improve classifications, concepts and methods for estimating the economic contribution of informal employment; and makes data and analysis available to policymakers, researchers and advocates in accessible formats.
- Global Trade documents how global trade and investment policies impact informal workers, and promotes ethical and fair trade practices for homeworkers and small producer groups by building knowledge of their situation in select global value chains.
- Social Protection examines the specific risks faced by informal workers, particularly women, and promotes innovative approaches to extending social protectionSocial protectionSocial protection, as defined by the United Nations Research Institute For Social Development, is concerned with preventing, managing, and overcoming situations that adversely affect people’s well being...
coverage to informal workers, including occupational health and safety. - Urban Policies promotes urban planningUrban planningUrban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
, policies, and practices that are inclusive of the urban working poor by undertaking research, good practice documentation, and policy dialogues. - Global Projects involve partnerships with MBOs of informal workers and currently include the Inclusive Cities for the Working Poor and Women’s Economic Empowerment projects.
- Other Special Initiatives include technical and policy dialogues; collaborative research and advocacy; commissioned research for international agencies; and conferences or public events.
WIEGO involves membership-based organizations (MBOs) of informal workers in the identification, prioritization and design of its activities, which involve a mix of:
- helping build and strengthen networks of organizations of informal workers
- undertaking policy studies, statistical research, and data analysis on the informal economy
- providing policy advice and convening policy dialogues on the informal economy
- documenting and disseminating good practice in support of the informal workforce
Structure
WIEGO represents a collaboration between membership-based organizations of workers in the informal economy, support non-governmental organizationNon-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s, research and statistics institutions, national government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
s, and international development agencies.
The founders of WIEGO decided, at the outset, that the WIEGO network should draw its membership from and form alliances with three constituencies:
- membership-based organizations of informal workers, such as cooperatives, unions and associations
- researchers and statisticians who carry out research, data collection, or data analysis on the informal economy
- practitioners from development agencies (intergovernmental, governmental, non-governmental) who provide services to or shape policies towards the informal workforce
MBOs of informal workers that are active in WIEGO can become Institutional Members. Individuals from the other two constituencies who are active in WIEGO can become Individual Members. By the end of 2010, the WIEGO network had grown to include 144 Members – 15 Institutional and 129 Individual Members – from 29 countries.
A 10-person Board of Directors governs the WIEGO network. Board members are drawn from WIEGO’s three constituencies. The Board has two committees: a Management (or executive) Committee and a Financial Committee.
- Renana JhabvalaRenana JhabvalaRenana Jhabvala of Ahmedabad, India, has been active for decades in organizing women into organizations and trade unions in India, and has been extensively involved in policy issues relating to poor women and the informal economy...
(Chair), Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA)/India - Kofi Asamoah, Ghana Trades Union Congress/Ghana
- Barbro Budin, International Union of Food and Allied Workers (IUF)/Switzerland
- Debra Davis (Treasurer), Independent Consultant/UK
- Fandy Clarisse Gnahoui, StreetNet International/Benin
- Ravi Kanbur, Cornell University/USA
- Lin Lim, Independent Consultant/Malaysia
- William Steel, University of GhanaUniversity of GhanaThe University of Ghana is the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian universities and tertiary institutions. It is one of the best universities in Africa and by far the most prestigious in West Africa...
/Ghana - Jeemol Unni, Institute of Rural ManagementInstitute of Rural Management AnandInstitute of Rural Management, Anand is an autonomous institution in Anand in Gujarat, India with the mandate of contributing to the professional management of rural organisations. It was founded at the initiative of the National Dairy Development Board and the support of Government of India,...
, Anand/India - Carmen Vildoso, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru/Peru
Key Funders
- The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Department for International DevelopmentDepartment for International DevelopmentThe Department For International Development is a United Kingdom government department with a Cabinet Minister in charge. It was separated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". The current...
(DFID) - The Ford Foundation
- Government of the Netherlands, MDG3 Fund
- International Development Research CentreInternational Development Research CentreThe International Development Research Centre is a Canadian Crown Corporation created by the Parliament of Canada that supports research in developing countries to promote growth and development...
(IDRC) - Swedish International Development Cooperation AgencySwedish International Development Cooperation AgencyThe Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency is a government agency of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Sida is responsible for organization of the bulk of Sweden's official development assistance to developing countries....
(Sida)
Research focus
WIEGO's research agenda and policy analysis focuses on the working poorWorking poor
- Definition in the United States :There are several popular definitions of "working poor" in the United States. According to the US Department of Labor, the working poor "are persons who spent at least 27 weeks [in the past year] in the labor force , but whose incomes fell below the official...
, especially women, in the informal economy
Informal economy
The informal sector or informal economy as defined by governments, scholars, banks, etc. is the part of an economy that is not taxed, monitored by any form of government, or included in any gross national product , unlike the formal economy....
. By carrying out research to improve information and statistics available on the informal economy the network intends to help organizations of informal workers in their efforts to promote national policies that would directly benefit the working poor, especially women, in the economy.