INSEAI Blog
Stay up to date with our Blog, which offers analysis and commentary on the latest developments in understanding this phenomenon. Posts feature contributions from members of our network and other colleagues, analysts, and technicians interested in exploring the diverse aspects of informal activities and their key subjects.
Our Blog will feature analyses and commentaries on the main developments regarding informality in its various contexts, prepared by members of our INSEAI Network and other analysts of the phenomenon. They provide numerous insights, offering valuable multidisciplinary perspectives on informality, both theoretically and applied, particularly in relation to Europe and Latin America.
Subscribe to our Blog to receive our latest thoughts on informality, as well as the latest posts, key news from the network, and upcoming events and publications related to this phenomenon.
Blog posts:
15.04.2026
A journey through the evolution of labor informality in economic thought reveals its presence from Marxist critiques to modern approaches like institutionalism and the ILO, transitioning from dualistic views (formal vs. informal) to multidimensional analyses addressing precariousness, exclusion, and lack of rights worsened by digitalization and contractless platforms. » Read more
24.03.2026
Census results for 2022 confirm that informality remains a significant, geographically concentrated feature of the Brazilian labor market. Nationally, informal employment accounts for roughly one third of the employed population, but the incidence and income implications vary markedly across regions and municipalities. » Read more
16.02.2026
Recent transformations in the world of work—driven by digitalization, the flexibilization of labor relations, and the reorganization of productive processes—have revived longstanding debates on labor informality. Far from disappearing with economic modernization, informality persists and takes on new forms, compelling a rethinking of its causes » Read more
21.01.2026
Rocinha greets you long before you reach its narrow alleys. The soundscape changes first, the steady hum of Rio’s formal city gives way to a vibrant mix of moto-taxis weaving through impossible curves, music spilling from windows stacked tightly on top of one another, and the chatter of street vendors negotiating their morning sales. » Read more
18.12.2025
Economic informality and tax evasion are pervasive, intertwined features of contemporary economies. Informality encompasses income-earning activities outside the reach of labour regulation, social insurance, and tax administration (from unregistered self-employment and off-the-books jobs to small businesses that do not keep standard accounts) while tax evasion refers to intentional non-compliance » Read more
International Network for Knowledge and Comparative Socioeconomic Analysis of Informality and the Policies to be Implemented for their Formalization in the European Union and Latin America
Horizon Europe Project 101182756 — INSEAI 2023