From Safety Net to Safety Trap
Informality and Telework During the Coronavirus Pandemic in Latin America
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4829758 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Daniela De Los Santos (0000-0002-7158-9700, Interdisciplinary Center for Development Studies, Montevideo, Uruguay, corresponding author), Inés Fynn (0000-0001-8032-8409, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 1032-1051 |
| Publication date | 2024-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Behavioral Scientist (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-7642 • E-ISSN: 1552-3381 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00027642231155365 |
| OpenAlex | W4322499769 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 25 |
In Latin America, informality has historically operated as a safety net during economic crises, by absorbing unemployed workers and providing income. However, unlike past economic crises, the 2020 crisis unleashed by the outbreak of the new coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is not only economic but has resulted from a health emergency that requires social distance and isolation. In this article we argue that, in the context of social distancing and confinement measures, informal work constitutes a safety trap instead of operating as a safety net. First, informality as an economic subsistence mechanism is limited given that working activities in the informal sector are less convertible to remote jobs. Second, even when telework may be a viable option, the home conditions of informal workers often hinder the feasibility of telework. In making this argument, we bring to bear a conceptualization of potential to telework which includes both occupational and household components, the latter an often-neglected piece of the telework puzzle. To evaluate our argument, we conduct a quantitative cross-country analysis of seven Latin American countries (Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay). The empirical analysis consists of a descriptive assessment of the potential to telework of informal workers
Argument (complex analysis) · Business · Conceptualization · Context (archaeology) · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Informal sector · Latin Americans · Political science · Safety net · Telecommuting · Work (physics) · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Employment and Welfare Studies · Engineering · Taxation and Compliance Studies
Digital Divide
The Resurgence of the Latin American Left
The Informal Economy
Crafting Policies to End Poverty in Latin America
Supply and demand shocks in the Covid-19 pandemic
How Many Jobs Can be Done at Home?
Social Policy Expansion in Latin America
Welfare and Party Politics in Latin America
Deconstructing the Decline in Inequality in Latin America
Challenging Neoliberalism in Latin America
Latin American Class Structures
Digital inequalities in time of pandemic
Digital Inclusion Across the Americas and Caribbean
Informal self-employment and macroeconomic fluctuations
De la informalidad a la modernidad
The Mobilization of Opposition to Economic Liberalization
Social Science Concepts
The Second Wave of Incorporation in Latin America
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |