Research forum: Technology and the Transition from Informal to Formal Economy
The ILO and UN-ESCAP are leading a research project and South-South learning exchange on the topic of technology as a tool to facilitate the transition from informal to formal employment. Policy innovations (simplified to ”e-formality”) will be discussed over the course of a two-day online Research Forum with the aim of facilitating mutual learning, peer review and setting an agenda for a longer-term research and knowledge sharing.
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Rationale
An increasing number of governments are promoting the application of new technologies that have the potential to simplify and facilitate the transition from the informal to the formal economy. Technology can facilitate providing access to social protection, simplify registration, enhance access to finance, increase productivity, support inspection and compliance with laws, and give a voice to those working in the shadows of the informal sector. These policy innovations (simplified to ”e-formality”) have the potential to transform the way formalization policies will be implemented in the future. The ILO and UN-ESCAP are leading a research project and South-South learning exchange on the topic of e-formalization. The expected outcome of the project is an increased knowledge base of ILO tripartite constituents in the Asia-Pacific Region on how and to what degree the application of digital technologies in public policies and programmes contributes to the process of formalization. After a Call for Abstracts launched earlier this year, the ILO and UN-ESCAP invite the authors of five research abstracts to present their work at the on- line Research Forum on 18-19 January 2021.
Participants
The on-line Research Forum brings together researchers who have submitted innovative research papers on the use of digital technologies in support of the transition from the informal to the formal economy and ILO experts on the topic of formalization. The researchers are invited to present their papers for peer-review.Objectives
The objectives of the on-line Research Forum are to share the findings of research on e- formalization in different countries in Asia. The Research Forum will be an opportunity for mutual learning, peer review and agenda setting for a longer-term research and knowledge sharing programme. The conclusions of the on-line Research Forum will feed into an on- line Tripartite Knowledge Sharing Forum to be held in May 2021.Information Note and tentative Agenda
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