Pascale Joassart-Marcelli
Pascale Joassart-Marcelli is a professor of geography at San Diego State University.
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The informal economy is widespread, diverse, and deeply tied to the formal economy. It is also full of paradoxes and contradictions, which make it difficult to find simple solutions.
Not only did neoliberalism redefine the role of the state, it also intensified the speed and depth of globalization, which radically transformed the economy.
Capitalism is perceived to be a result of policy, social norms, and race and gender discrimination that have ensured a large pool of workers willing to work for low wages.
Today, as the middle class continues to disappear, a growing number of people make a living through alternative forms of work: freelancing, hustling on the side, and permanently temping.