Biblioteca Digital de VanguardiaReplacement income and informal commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic in Huancayo, Peru
This article constitutes an empirical contribution regarding the correlation between economic informality and the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Based on interviews with merchants in the informal sector of the city of Huancayo, the pandemic-related impacts are analyzed in relation to income and liveliho...
| Autores principales: | , , |
|---|---|
| Formato: | Revistas |
| Lenguaje: | Español |
| Publicado: |
Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Sede Ecuador
2023
|
| Acceso en línea: | https://iconos.flacsoandes.edu.ec/index.php/iconos/article/view/5544 |
| _version_ | 1782344310768795648 |
|---|---|
| author | Clark, Patrick Chanca-Flores, Aparicio Vincent, Susan |
| author_facet | Clark, Patrick Chanca-Flores, Aparicio Vincent, Susan |
| author_sort | Clark, Patrick |
| collection | Revista |
| description | This article constitutes an empirical contribution regarding the correlation between economic informality and the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Based on interviews with merchants in the informal sector of the city of Huancayo, the pandemic-related impacts are analyzed in relation to income and livelihoods. It is argued that informal employment played an important role in the tragic indicators of public health in the country. The intrinsic flexibility of this type of activities, specifically for walking merchants, and the lack of access to systems and programs of social security were the main reasons that people worked in this sector to replace the income they lost due to confinement. Thus, the notion “replacement of income” in the economy appeared during the pandemic. The heterogeneity among those who carry out informal work, specifically in terms of their access to different resources, enabled such work and enabled some people to control their exposure to the virus. It is concluded that the focus on economic formalization of the last decades of financial liberalization are not considered advantages that informal activities offer in relation to formalization. In fact, informality continues to offer the best opportunity for immediate income and highly flexible options, in particular for adapting to crisis situations like the pandemic. |
| format | Revistas |
| id | iconos-article-5544 |
| institution | Íconos - Revista de Ciencias Sociales |
| language | Español |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Sede Ecuador |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | iconos-article-55442023-05-01T17:35:58Z Replacement income and informal commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic in Huancayo, Peru Recambio de ingresos y comercio informal durante la pandemia de la covid-19 en Huancayo, Perú Complemento de renda e comércio informal durante a pandemia de Covid-19 em Huancayo, Peru Clark, Patrick Chanca-Flores, Aparicio Vincent, Susan comércio informal Covid-19 informalidade econômica Peru precariedade reprodução social comercio informal covid-19 informalidad económica Perú precariedad reproducción social informal commerce COVID-19 informal economy Peru precarity social reproduction This article constitutes an empirical contribution regarding the correlation between economic informality and the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Based on interviews with merchants in the informal sector of the city of Huancayo, the pandemic-related impacts are analyzed in relation to income and livelihoods. It is argued that informal employment played an important role in the tragic indicators of public health in the country. The intrinsic flexibility of this type of activities, specifically for walking merchants, and the lack of access to systems and programs of social security were the main reasons that people worked in this sector to replace the income they lost due to confinement. Thus, the notion “replacement of income” in the economy appeared during the pandemic. The heterogeneity among those who carry out informal work, specifically in terms of their access to different resources, enabled such work and enabled some people to control their exposure to the virus. It is concluded that the focus on economic formalization of the last decades of financial liberalization are not considered advantages that informal activities offer in relation to formalization. In fact, informality continues to offer the best opportunity for immediate income and highly flexible options, in particular for adapting to crisis situations like the pandemic. Este artículo constituye un aporte empírico sobre la correlación entre la informalidad económica y la pandemia de la covid-19 en Perú. Con base en entrevistas a comerciantes del sector informal de la ciudad de Huancayo, se analizan los impactos pandémicos en relación con sus ingresos y medios de vida y se sostiene que el empleo informal tuvo una gran repercusión en los trágicos indicadores de salud pública en el país. La flexibilidad intrínseca de este tipo de actividades, puntualmente para el comercio ambulatorio, y la falta de acceso a sistemas y esquemas de protección social fueron las principales razones por las que las personas emprendían en este sector para reemplazar los ingresos que perdieron debido al confinamiento. Así, se introduce la noción “recambio de ingresos” en la economía durante la pandemia. La heterogeneidad entre quienes realizan labores informales, específicamente en el acceso a diferentes tipos de recursos, permitió tales emprendimientos y facilitó que algunas personas controlen su posible exposición al virus. Se concluye que en el enfoque de la formalización económica de las últimas décadas de liberalización financiera no se consideran las ventajas que las actividades informales ofrecen frente a la formalización. De hecho, la informalidad sigue brindando la mejor oportunidad de ingresos inmediatos y opciones altamente flexibles, en particular para adaptarse a situaciones de crisis como la pandemia. Este artigo constitui uma contribuição empírica sobre a correlação entre a informalidade econômica e a pandemia de covid-19 no Peru. Com base em entrevistas com comerciantes do setor informal da cidade de Huancayo, analisam-se os impactos da pandemia em relação a sua renda e meios de subsistência e argumenta-se que o emprego informal teve um grande impacto nos trágicos indicadores de saúde pública do país. A flexibilidade intrínseca deste tipo de atividade, nomeadamente para o comércio de rua, e a falta de acesso a sistemas e esquemas de proteção social foram as principais razões que levaram as pessoas a ingressarem neste setor para repor o rendimento que perderam devido ao confinamento. Assim, a noção de “complemento de renda” é introduzida na economia durante a pandemia. A heterogeneidade entre os que exercem trabalhos informais, especificamente no acesso a diferentes tipos de recursos, permitiu tais empreendimentos e facilitou para algumas pessoas o controle de sua possível exposição ao vírus. Conclui-se que a abordagem da formalização econômica das últimas décadas de liberalização financeira não considera as vantagens que as atividades informais oferecem em relação à formalização. De fato, a informalidade continua a ser a melhor oportunidade de rendimento imediato e opções altamente flexíveis, nomeadamente de adaptação a situações de crise como a pandemia. Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Sede Ecuador 2023-05-01 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Artículo evaluado por pares application/pdf text/html text/xml application/epub+zip https://iconos.flacsoandes.edu.ec/index.php/iconos/article/view/5544 10.17141/iconos.76.2023.5544 Íconos - Revista de Ciencias Sociales; Núm. 76 (2023): Covid-19: de la política a las políticas públicas en América Latina ; 167-185 Íconos - Revista de Ciencias Sociales; n. 76 (2023): COVID-19: da política às políticas públicas na América Latina; 167-185 Íconos. Revista de Ciencias Sociales; No. 76 (2023): Covid-19: From politics to public policy in Latin America; 167-185 1390-8065 1390-1249 spa https://iconos.flacsoandes.edu.ec/index.php/iconos/article/view/5544/4359 https://iconos.flacsoandes.edu.ec/index.php/iconos/article/view/5544/4380 https://iconos.flacsoandes.edu.ec/index.php/iconos/article/view/5544/4381 https://iconos.flacsoandes.edu.ec/index.php/iconos/article/view/5544/4396 Derechos de autor 2023 Patrick Clark, Aparicio Chanca Flores, Susan Vincent https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/deed.es_ES |
| spellingShingle | Clark, Patrick Chanca-Flores, Aparicio Vincent, Susan Replacement income and informal commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic in Huancayo, Peru |
| title | Replacement income and informal commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic in Huancayo, Peru |
| title_full | Replacement income and informal commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic in Huancayo, Peru |
| title_fullStr | Replacement income and informal commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic in Huancayo, Peru |
| title_full_unstemmed | Replacement income and informal commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic in Huancayo, Peru |
| title_short | Replacement income and informal commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic in Huancayo, Peru |
| title_sort | replacement income and informal commerce during the covid-19 pandemic in huancayo, peru |
| url | https://iconos.flacsoandes.edu.ec/index.php/iconos/article/view/5544 |