Abstract
This article presents an ethnographic analysis of informal economic strategies employed by urban poor populations in post-industrial cities of Central-Eastern Europe. Based on fieldwork in Bucharest and Katowice, the study examines how marginalised urban residents navigate economic hardship through informal work, mutual aid networks, and creative resource mobilisation.
Key Findings
- Informal economic activities represent rational survival strategies rather than deviant behaviour
- Household-level economic portfolios combine formal and informal income sources in complex ways
- Social networks function as crucial economic resources for accessing work opportunities and mutual aid
- Gender shapes informal economic participation, with women concentrated in care and domestic service work
Methodology
Extended ethnographic fieldwork over 12 months in low-income neighbourhoods, combining participant observation with household economic mapping and life history interviews.
Implications
The research challenges negative portrayals of informal economies and argues for policy approaches that recognise and support the economic creativity of marginalised urban populations rather than criminalising their survival strategies.
