Reframing the notion that informal entrepreneurs in Africa are necessity-driven

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Kiptoo, Maryline and Sambajee, Pratima; (2024) Reframing the notion that informal entrepreneurs in Africa are necessity-driven. In: The Emerald Handbook of African Studies. Emerald, Leeds. (In Press)

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Abstract

There is a notion that informal entrepreneurs in Africa are necessity-driven and engage in entrepreneurship to survive. While this may be the case in some instances, this constricted view undermines the nature and practices of informal entrepreneurs. Additionally, it ignores other essential aspects, such as agency and sociocultural dimensions, that drive entrepreneurship decisions. Consequently, there is a need for a more contextualised understanding of entrepreneurial participation in the informal sector that goes beyond the foundations of survivalist thinking. Against this background, the chapter uses the concept of institutional logics to look into two life stories of informal artisan entrepreneurs in Kenya. The aim is to critically analyse the logics that keep them in the informal sector and make them different from necessity entrepreneurs. In doing so, the chapter contributes towards a more holistic understanding of entrepreneurship in the informal sector in Africa.

ORCID iDs

Kiptoo, Maryline ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7118-2778 and Sambajee, Pratima ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8867-877X;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)