Employment Relationships and Organizing Strategies in the Informal Construction Sector

by Jill Wells and Arthur Jason Abstract The expansion of self-employment, casual labor and outsourcing in the construction sector around the world and the growing involvement of intermediaries has led to an increasing complexity of employment relationships. The paper discusses the implications of this complexity for collective organizing, drawing on recent studies of informal labor in the […]

Urban Renewal through Labour-Intensive Construction Technology in South Africa: Problems and Potentials

by Wellington Didibhuku Thwala Abstract In South Africa, the levels of unemployment and poverty are extremely high and two of South Africa’s most pressing problems. There is also a widely acknowledged need for housing and municipal infrastructure (water supply, sewerage, streets, stormwater drainage, electricity, refuse collection). There a need for physical infrastructure in both urban […]

Determinants of Rural Labor Market Participation in Tanzania

by John K. Mduma and Peter Wobst Abstract Participation in rural off-farm activities (outside a household’s own farm) is one of the livelihood strategies among poor rural households in many developing countries. One component of off-farm activities accessible to the very poor is wage labor because it does not require any complementary physical capital. A […]

Labor Exchange Systems in Japan and DR Congo: Similarities and Differences

by Tatsuro Suehara Abstract In this essay, I attempt a comparison of two labor exchange systems employed respectively by Japanese and Congolese (Tembo) peasants. The Japanese system is known as yui, while the Tembo system is called likilimba. Yui and likilimba have several basic principles in common: (1) mutual assistance, (2) exchange of equal amount of labor, and (3) no use of […]

From Beer to Money: Labor Exchange and Commercialization in Eastern Uganda

by Soichiro Shiraishi Abstract This paper discusses how labor exchange and social ties among the Sabiny in eastern Uganda have changed with increased commercialization in the area. It explains the rationale for the original “beer party system” and how labor exchanges associated with this system have been transformed in the light of social change affecting the […]

The Challenge of Globalization, Labor Market Restructuring and Union Democracy in Ghana

by Akua O. Britwum and Pim Martens Abstract The resulting labor market transformations imposed by adjustment of national economies prompt changes in the organizational strategies of labor movements. Such strategies impact union governance and undermine union democracy. Strategies adopted by the Ghana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and its national affiliates to cope with the fall-out […]

African Studies Quarterly

Tag: Labor