IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/eurjdr/v30y2018i4d10.1057_s41287-017-0093-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Beyond Solidarity and Accumulation Networks in Urban Informal African Economies

Author

Listed:
  • Jean-Philippe Berrou

    (Institute of Political Studies of Bordeaux)

  • François Combarnous

    (University of Bordeaux)

Abstract

This paper examines the role and nature of entrepreneurs’ social networks in the urban informal economy of Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso). Using an original dataset, the configuration of social networks is described based on three salient dimensions: tie content, member attributes and network structure. Multidimensional analysis allows for the simultaneous consideration of all three dimensions. Our findings suggest that network configurations at play extend well beyond the standard distinction between solidarity and accumulation networks. The complex networks highlighted by this study are consistent with rapid social changes in contemporary urban Africa. They can also significantly enhance the outcomes of small businesses.

Suggested Citation

  • Jean-Philippe Berrou & François Combarnous, 2018. "Beyond Solidarity and Accumulation Networks in Urban Informal African Economies," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 30(4), pages 652-675, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:eurjdr:v:30:y:2018:i:4:d:10.1057_s41287-017-0093-4
    DOI: 10.1057/s41287-017-0093-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41287-017-0093-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41287-017-0093-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rafael La Porta & Andrei Shleifer, 2014. "Informality and Development," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 28(3), pages 109-126, Summer.
    2. Grimm, Michael & Knorringa, Peter & Lay, Jann, 2012. "Constrained Gazelles: High Potentials in West Africa’s Informal Economy," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(7), pages 1352-1368.
    3. Marcel Fafchamps & Simon Quinn, 2018. "Networks and Manufacturing Firms in Africa: Results from a Randomized Field Experiment," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 32(3), pages 656-675.
    4. Susanna Slotte–Kock & Nicole Coviello, 2010. "Entrepreneurship Research on Network Processes: A Review and Ways Forward," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 34(1), pages 31-57, January.
    5. Marcel Fafchamps, 2002. "Returns to social network capital among traders," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 54(2), pages 173-206, April.
    6. Grimm, Michael & Hartwig, Renate & Lay, Jann, 2017. "Does forced solidarity hamper investment in small and micro enterprises?," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 827-846.
    7. Jean-Philippe Berrou & François Combarnous, 2011. "Testing Lin's Social Capital Theory in an Informal African Urban Economy," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(8), pages 1216-1240, June.
    8. repec:dau:papers:123456789/15034 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Marcel Fafchamps & Christopher Woodruff, 2017. "Identifying Gazelles: Expert Panels vs. Surveys as a Means to Identify Firms with Rapid Growth Potential," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 31(3), pages 670-686.
    10. Laure Pasquier-Doumer, 2013. "Intergenerational Transmission of Self-Employed Status in the Informal Sector: A Constrained Choice or Better Income Prospects? Evidence from Seven West African Countries," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 22(1), pages 73-111, January.
    11. Jean-Philippe Berrou & François Combarnous, 2012. "The Personal Networks of Entrepreneurs in an Informal African Urban Economy: Does the ‘Strength of Ties’ Matter?," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 70(1), pages 1-30, July.
    12. repec:dau:papers:123456789/13410 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Philippe De Vreyer & François Roubaud, 2013. "Urban Labor Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 15808, December.
    14. Martha Chen, 2014. "Informal Employment and Development: Patterns of Inclusion and Exclusion," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 26(4), pages 397-418, September.
    15. Jean-Philippe Berrou & François Combarnous, 2011. "Testing Lin's Social Capital Theory in an Informal African Urban Economy," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(8), pages 1216-1240, June.
    16. Marcel Fafchamps, 2004. "Market Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Theory and Evidence," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262062364, December.
    17. Jean-Philippe Berrou & François Combarnous, 2012. "The Personal Networks of Entrepreneurs in an Informal African Urban Economy: Does the ‘Strength of Ties’ Matter?," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 70(1), pages 1-30, July.
    18. Fafchamps, Marcel & McKenzie, David & Quinn, Simon & Woodruff, Christopher, 2014. "Microenterprise growth and the flypaper effect: Evidence from a randomized experiment in Ghana," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 211-226.
    19. Nordman, Christophe J. & Pasquier-Doumer, Laure, 2015. "Transitions in a West African labour market: The role of family networks," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 74-85.
    20. Hoang, Ha & Antoncic, Bostjan, 2003. "Network-based research in entrepreneurship: A critical review," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 165-187, March.
    21. Laure Pasquier-Doumer, 2013. "Intergenerational Transmission of Self-Employed Status in the Informal Sector: A Constrained Choice or Better Income Prospects? Evidence from seven West-African Countries," Post-Print hal-01651028, HAL.
    22. repec:dau:papers:123456789/7080 is not listed on IDEAS
    23. Nancy Benjamin & Ahmadou Aly Mbaye, 2012. "The Informal Sector in Francophone Africa : Firm Size, Productivity, and Institutions [Les entreprises informelles de l'Afrique de l'ouest francophone : Taille, productivité et institutions]," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 9364, December.
    24. Abigail M. Barr, 2002. "The Functional Diversity and Spillover Effects of Social Capital," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 11(1), pages 90-113, March.
    25. Michael Grimm & Flore Gubert & Ousman Koriko & Jann Lay & Christophe Jalil Nordman, 2013. "Kinship ties and entrepreneurship in Western Africa," Post-Print hal-01521952, HAL.
    26. repec:dau:papers:123456789/13755 is not listed on IDEAS
    27. Marcus H Böhme & Rainer Thiele, 2014. "Informal–Formal Linkages and Informal Enterprise Performance in Urban West Africa," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 26(4), pages 473-489, September.
    28. Salvatore di Falco & Erwin Bulte, 2011. "A Dark Side of Social Capital? Kinship, Consumption, and Savings," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(8), pages 1128-1151, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Thibaud Deguilhem & Jean-Philippe Berrou & François Combarnous, 2019. "Using your ties to get a worse job? The differential effects of social networks on quality of employment in Colombia," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 77(4), pages 493-522, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Walther, Olivier J. & Tenikue, Michel & Trémolières, Marie, 2019. "Economic performance, gender and social networks in West African food systems," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 1-1.
    2. Nordman, Christophe J. & Pasquier-Doumer, Laure, 2015. "Transitions in a West African labour market: The role of family networks," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 74-85.
    3. Getahun Fenta Kebede, 2020. "Network Locations or Embedded Resources? The Effects of Entrepreneurs’ Social Networks on Informal Enterprise Performance in Ethiopia," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 11(2), pages 630-659, June.
    4. Castañeda Dower, Paul & Gerber, Theodore P. & Weber, Shlomo, 2022. "Firms, kinship networks, and economic growth in the Kyrgyz Republic," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 997-1018.
    5. Deguilhem, Thibaud & Berrou, Jean-Philippe & Combarnous, François, 2017. "Using your ties to get a worse job? The differential effects of social networks on quality of employment: Evidence from Colombia," MPRA Paper 78628, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Getahun Fenta Kebede, 2018. "Social Capital and Entrepreneurial Outcomes: Evidence from Informal Sector Entrepreneurs in Ethiopia," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 27(2), pages 209-242, September.
    7. Grimm, Michael & Hartwig, Renate & Lay, Jann, 2017. "Does forced solidarity hamper investment in small and micro enterprises?," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 827-846.
    8. Christophe Nordman & Laure Pasquier-Doumer, 2013. "Transitions in a West African Labour Market: The Role of Social Networks," Working Papers DT/2013/12, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    9. Chi Huu Nguyen & Christophe J. Nordman, 2018. "Household Entrepreneurship and Social Networks: Panel Data Evidence from Vietnam," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(4), pages 594-618, April.
    10. Jean-Philippe Berrou & François Combarnous & Thomas Eekhout, 2017. "Les TIC : une réponse au défi du développement des micro et petites entreprises informelles en Afrique sub-saharienne ?," Working Papers hal-02148324, HAL.
    11. Olivier Walther, 2015. "Social Network Analysis and informal trade," Working Papers 4, University of Southern Denmark, Centre for Border Region Studies.
    12. repec:dau:papers:123456789/14463 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. repec:dau:papers:123456789/12203 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong & Laure Pasquier-Doumer, 2018. "The role of Social Networks on Household Business Performance in Vietnam: A qualitative assessment," Working Papers DT/2018/13, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    15. Christophe Nordman & Julia Vaillant, 2013. "Inputs, Gender Roles or Sharing Norms? Assessing the Gender Performance Gap Among Informal Entrepreneurs in Madagascar," Working Papers DT/2013/15, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    16. Cristian E Villanueva & Adrianela Angeles & Luz Cecilia Revilla, 2018. "Tying Strong Ties In Informal Entrepreneurship: A Constraint Or An Entrepreneurial Driver?," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(01), pages 1-19, March.
    17. Thibaud Deguilhem & Jean-Philippe Berrou & François Combarnous, 2019. "Using your ties to get a worse job? The differential effects of social networks on quality of employment in Colombia," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 77(4), pages 493-522, October.
    18. Eunice Maria M. N. Dos Santos & João J. Ferreira, 2017. "Analyzing Informal Entrepreneurship: A Bibliometric Survey," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 22(04), pages 1-20, December.
    19. repec:dau:papers:123456789/12204 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Christophe Jalil Nordman, 2016. "Do family and kinship networks support entrepreneurs?," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 262-262, May.
    21. Jean-Philippe Berrou & Claire Gondard-Delcroix, 2018. "Dynamics of social networks of urban informal entrepreneurs in an African economy," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 76(2), pages 167-197, April.
    22. Lyu, Yibo & He, Binyuan & Zhu, Yuqing & Li, Li, 2019. "Network embeddedness and inbound open innovation practice: The moderating role of technology cluster," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 12-24.
    23. Razafindrakoto, Mireille & Roubaud, François & Rua, Linda, 2021. "Hyper-elites and network: Capturing the powerful upper tail in Madagascar," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:eurjdr:v:30:y:2018:i:4:d:10.1057_s41287-017-0093-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.