Summary
p. 9-12
Texte intégral
1The methodology developed through the 1-2-3 surveys is mainly aimed at meeting a twofold statistical and economic challenge: to measure a phenomenon that cannot be measured – the informal economy – and to understand its functioning and dynamics. Various national and regional projects, launched from the early 1990s, have helped to strengthen this innovative system and expand its use. They are the result of demands – expressed or latent – from the authorities in the countries studied, and more specifically from the National Statistical Institutes (NSIs). The challenges are considerable given the enormous weight of the informal economy in developing countries (DCs), even though there is a lack of reliable statistical data on the subject. The informal economy is nevertheless the main source of household income, particularly for the poorest people in these countries. It is a central theme directly related to four of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Decent Work (SDG8), Poverty (SDG1), Inequality and Exclusion (SDG10) and Governance (SDG16).
2Among the many countries where 1-2-3 surveys have been implemented, Madagascar, Vietnam and Peru were chosen to illustrate the development of this methodological approach. These countries are on three different continents and have very different economic and political situations. But they are also countries where IRD-Dial teams have been on assignment and have been able to develop and make practical use of the potential of this survey and analysis system.
3In all three countries, the scientific projects on the informal economy were conducted in partnership with the respective NSIs. This strategic option is crucial because it ensures that the results are recognised and integrated into the official data system. Firstly, this made it possible to carry out large-scale surveys that were representative at the country level. Secondly, this partnership helped to institutionalise this research instrument (inclusion of the survey in the national statistical information and monitoring system). However, collaborations with research centres or universities in the countries studied were also set up for the analytical stage, aimed at deepening knowledge by using the statistical data produced with the NSIs. Lastly, among the stakeholders involved, regional and international institutions played a key role in providing technical and especially financial support. These institutions also contributed to supporting and strengthening the credibility and reputation of the teams, the methodology used and the analyses conducted on the informal economy.
4A statistical survey and analysis system for the informal economy based on 1-2-3 surveys was thus gradually refined and reinforced. The use of this system has provided official, reliable and relevant statistical data that constitute public assets. These data have been used to empirically validate a number of major findings on the informal economy in the countries studied: the enormous weight of informal employment, the long-term (non-transitory) nature of this phenomenon, the prevalence of job insecurity, the weak link with the formal economy, the large proportion of informal units in GDP and their significant contribution to state revenue, and lastly the reasons for non-registration, which have more to do with ignorance and the complexity of the law and procedures, than with a deliberate desire to evade the regulations.
5The data have thus formed the basis not only of numerous academic publications, but also of official reports or policy briefs with operational recommendations.
6In addition to the academic works, the IRD-Dial researchers involved in the projects placed special emphasis on the dissemination of the results and their use among different types of national and international stakeholders. This emphasis on communication strategy (through organising and participating in public conferences, expert meetings, collaboration with the media) has been fundamental to ensure that knowledge is effectively utilised to inform policy debates and decision-making. Key milestones in this regard were their participation in the Delhi Group (a United Nations-mandated city group that defines norms and standards for measuring the informal economy) and the three major international conferences on the informal economy co-organised by IRD researchers in 1997 and 2009 (in Africa) and in 2010 (in Vietnam).
7Lastly, training courses on measuring and analysing the informal economy (regional, national and international teaching modules or workshops attended by various types of actors; supervision of PhD students or young researchers) are other factors that have increased the impact of the 1-2-3 survey. In addition to the skills that they acquire during the training, these trainees become stakeholders who can promote the benefits of the methodology and the analytical results. A perfect example is the production of a documentary film on the informal economy in Vietnam by a PhD student working on the subject.
8Beyond the direct results of the 1-2-3 survey system (the output already mentioned), its societal impact can be broken down into five dimensions: economic, academic, institutional, social and political, and in terms of capacity building.
Handcarts used to transport goods in Antananarivo, Madagascar, 2013.

© IRD/M. Razafindrakoto
9The economic impact is visible through shifts in policy on the informal economy following the dissemination of survey results. These include consideration of the contribution made by the informal economy in terms of added value, the introduction of measures to support informal units, and the revision of repressive policies against them. From an academic perspective, the results from the first waves of surveys together with the consolidation of survey and analysis methodologies, have opened up new thematic areas of research (such as the analysis of transitions or mobilities or new themes such as governance or insecurity). Looking at the institutional dimension, strengthening the credibility and legitimacy of NSIs through the use of a robust, relevant and reliable research instrument is a major positive outcome. The institutional strengthening of bodies such as Afrisat (the Economic and Statistical Observatory for Sub-Saharan Africa) and the African Union falls into the same category. The availability of an effective method of measurement and analysis, standardised across the continent, enables them to achieve the objective of harmonising statistics and gives greater visibility to their actions. From a socio-political point of view, the recognition of a category of actors – those involved in the informal economy – and their weight, role and contribution to the economy of countries and societal debates, is a significant advance in terms of governance. Lastly, the impacts in terms of capacity building in the countries studied are significant. The expansion in use of the 1-2-3 survey methodology has created a pool of expertise that promotes South-South Dialogue and collaboration. There has even been a rarely observed transfer of knowledge from the South to the North (from African countries to France, with Insee using the survey in Mayotte). The partnerships have led to a strengthening of methodological and analytical knowledge in NSIs and to competent managerial staff being trained to work in senior positions. However, since the beginning of the 1990s, successive generations of students, researchers and managers have also been introduced to an integrated approach (from the field to the dissemination of results to the general public), an approach that could be called the “1-2-3 survey school”. This approach now provides a suitable tool for monitoring several key indicators of the SDGs, particularly those relating to employment, poverty, inequality and governance/participation.

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