Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-19T01:50:26.687Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

10 - Nigeria’s Informal Economy, Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development

from Part II - CSR and Sustainable Development Cross-Country Studies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2019

By
Uchenna Uzo  and
Olamide Shittu
Edited by
Onyeka Osuji ,
Franklin N. Ngwu  and
Dima Jamali
Onyeka Osuji
Affiliation:
University of Essex
Franklin N. Ngwu
Affiliation:
Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria
Dima Jamali
Affiliation:
American University of Beirut
Get access

Summary

The informal economy is the source of livelihood for the teeming population of low-income earners in developing economies. Several studies have been conducted on the informal economy’s impact on Africa’s economic development and the neglect of the sector by the government in policy decisions. However, studies on social responsibility in businesses have largely neglected discourse on socially responsible practices in the informal sector, especially in Nigeria. In this regard, this chapter seeks to contribute to the limited extant literature on small business social responsibility in developing economies – specifically Nigeria – and how the exposition of such practices could contribute immensely to the sustainable development of the country. Employing the qualitative research methodology, the study explored how informal businesses conceive of socially responsible practice; what specific social responsibility they adopt; and how these practices could advance the sustainable development of the country. Findings from the study highlighted apprenticeship and credit sales as the major practices informal businesses engage in while also noting that such practices are integrated into the daily operations of informal businesses rather than as a separate department. The authors finally made some linkages between informal social responsibility and sustainable development and advanced some recommendations on the subject matter.

Keywords

Informal EconomyInformal Social ResponsibilitySustainable DevelopmentDeveloping EconomiesNigeria
Type
Chapter
Information
Corporate Social Responsibility in Developing and Emerging Markets
Institutions, Actors and Sustainable Development
 , pp. 191 - 205
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adedeji, J. A., Fadamiro, J. A. and Adeoye, A. O. (2014). Spatial implications of street trading in Osogbo traditional city centre, Nigeria. Architecture Research, 4(1A), 34–44. https://doi:10.5923/s.arch.201401.05.Google Scholar
Auriol, E. and Warlters, M. (2005). Taxation base in developing countries. Journal of Public Economics, 89(4), 625–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baena, V. (2018). The importance of CSR practices carried out by sport teams and its influence on brand love: The Real Madrid Foundation. Social Responsibility Journal, 14(1), 61–79. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-11–2016–0205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barrett, R. (1998). Liberating the Corporate Soul: Building a Visionary Organization, Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann.Google Scholar
Berkes, F. and Adhikari, T. (2006). Development and conservation: Indigenous business and the UNDP Equator Initiative. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 3, 671–90.Google Scholar
Branco, M. C. and Rodriques, L. L. (2007). Positioning stakeholder theory within the debate of corporate social responsibility. Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organization Studies, 12(1).Google Scholar
Bromley, R. (2000). Street vending and public policy: A global review. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 20(1/2), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443330010789052.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bromley, R. and Wilson, T. D. (2017). Introduction: The urban informal economy revisited. Latin American Perspectives, 45(1), 4–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/0094582X17736043.Google Scholar
Busso, M., Fazio, M. and Levy, S. (2012). (In)formal and (un)productive: The productivity costs of excessive informality in Mexico. IDB Working Paper Series 1DB-WP-341.Google Scholar
Cantele, S. and Zardini, A. (2018). Is sustainability a competitive advantage for small businesses? An empirical analysis of possible mediators in the sustainability-financing performance relationship. Journal of Cleaner Production, 182, 166–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castka, P., Bamber, C. J., Bamber, D. J. and Sharp, J. M. (2004). Integrating corporate social responsibility (CSR) into ISO management systems: In search of a feasible CSR management system framework. The TQM Magazine, 16(3), 216–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cheru, F. (2002). African Renaissance: Roadmaps to the Challenge of Globalization, London: Zed Books.Google Scholar
Coelho, P. R., McClure, J. E. and Spry, J. A. (2003). The social responsibility of corporate management: A classical critique. American Journal of Business, 18(1), 15–24.Google Scholar
Crowther, D. (2004). Corporate social reporting: Genuine action or window dressing? In Crowther, D. and Rayman-Bacchus, L., eds., Perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility. Aldershot: Ashgate.Google Scholar
Efiong, J. E., Usang, O. U., Inyang, I. O. and Effiong, C. (2013). Corporate social responsibility in small and medium scale enterprises in Nigeria: An example from the hotel industry. International Journal of Business and Management, 8(14), 119–26.Google Scholar
Fan, J., Haq, S. H. I. U., Moeriera, A. G. and Virk, M. M. (2018). Impact of CSR dimensions on consumer satisfaction and brand loyalty in the formation of purchase intentions: Study from Pakistan livestock industry. Management, 8(2), 54–63.Google Scholar
Fortis, Z., Maon, F., Frooman, J. and Reiner, G. (2018). Unknown knowns and known unknowns: Framing the role of organizational learning in corporate social responsibility development. International Journal of Management Reviews, 20(2), 277–300.Google Scholar
Gazzola, P. (2014). CSR integration into the corporate strategy. Cross-Cultural Management Journal, XVI (2[6]), 331–8.Google Scholar
Gërxhani, K. (2004). The informal sector in developed and less developed countries: A literature survey. Public Choice, 120(3/4), 267–300. https://doi:196.13.242.252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibson, K., Hill, A. and Law, L. (2018). Community economies in Southeast Asia: A hidden economic geography. Routledge Handbook of Southeast Asian Development, 131–41.Google Scholar
Gordon, R. and Li, W. (2009). Tax structures in developing countries: Many puzzles and a possible explanation. Journal of Public Economics, 93(7–8), 855–66.Google Scholar
Guadamillas-Gómez, F., Donate-Manzanares, M. J. and Škerlavaj, M. (2010). The integration of corporate social responsibility into the strategy of technology-intensive firms: A case study. Zbornik radova Ekonomskog fakulteta u Rijeci, 28(1), 9–34.Google Scholar
Hailong, L. (2010). The schools of thought about corporate social responsibility [J]. China Nonprofit Review, 2, 007.Google Scholar
Harrison, J. G. and Freeman, R. E. (1999). Stakeholders, social responsibility, and performance: Empirical evidence and theoretical perspectives. Academy of Management Journal, 42(5), 479–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/256971.Google Scholar
Helg, A. (2007). ‘Corporate social responsibility from a Nigerian perspective’. Master’s thesis, Management and Organisation, Handelshogskolan, 2007.Google Scholar
Ibrahim, M. I. M. and Wertheimer, A. I. (2018). Introduction: Discovering issues and challenges in low- and- middle-income countries. In Ibrahim, M. I. M., Wertheimer, A. I., Babar, Z.-U.-D., eds., Social and Administrative Aspects of Pharmacy in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Present Challenges and Future Solutions, pp. 1–11. London, San Diego, Cambridge and Oxford: Academic Press, Elsevier.Google Scholar
Inclusive Cities and WIEGO (2010). The informal economy monitoring study. www.wiego.org/wiego/informal-economy-monitoring-study-iems-publicationsGoogle Scholar
International Conference of Labour Statisticians [ICLS] (2003). Guidelines concerning a statistical definition of informal employment. 17th ICLS. Available at www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/–dgreports/–stat/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_087622.pdf accessed 28 March 2018.Google Scholar
International Institute for Environment and Development [IIED] (2016). Informality and inclusive green growth: Evidence from ‘The biggest private sector’ event. London: IIED.Google Scholar
International Labour Organization [ILO] (2013). Women and men in the informal economy: A statistical picture. Geneva: ILO.Google Scholar
Ismail, M. (2009). Corporate social responsibility and its role in community development: An international perspective. Journal of International Social Research, 2(9).Google Scholar
Jackson, T. (2016). Indigenous practices in the informal economy and sustainability in Africa: Cultural Heritage as a Generator of Sustainable Development, in The role of Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Opportunities – Workshop, 2 November 2016, Middlesex University.Google Scholar
Larson, J. E. (2002). Informality, illegality, and inequality. Yale Law & Policy Review, 20(1), 137–82.Google Scholar
Mang’unyi, M. S. and Chege, K. (2014). Challenges facing the implementation of corporate social responsibility programs in education sector: A survey of private primary schools in Busia County, Kenya. International Journal of Innovative Research and Development, 3(4), 410–25.Google Scholar
Mason, M. (2010). Sample size and saturation in PhD studies using qualitative interviews (63 paragraphs). Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 11(3), Art. 8, http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs100387 accessed 28 September 2016.Google Scholar
Mbaye, M. A. (2014). The informal sector, employment, and structural transformation: Some operational recommendations for a productive policy, The Informal Sector, Growth, Employment, and Sustainable Development: Discussion Note, pp. 1–7. International Organization of La Francophonie.Google Scholar
Miranda, A. T. and Miranda, J. L. F. (2018). Status and conditions of small-and medium-sized enterprises as predictors in empowering rural communities in Samar Island, Philippines. Asia Pacific Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 12(1), 105–19.Google Scholar
Moon, J. (2007). The contribution of corporate social responsibility to sustainable development. Sustainable Development, 15(5), 296–306.Google Scholar
Obalola, M. A. (2010). ‘Ethics and social responsibility in the Nigerian insurance industry: A multi-methods approach’. Doctoral degree thesis, De Montfort University, 2010.Google Scholar
Onokala, U. and Banwo, A. (2015). Informal sector in Nigeria through the lens of apprenticeship, education and unemployment. American Advanced Research in Management, 1(1), 13–22.Google Scholar
Onwe, O. J. (2013). Role of the informal sector in development of the Nigerian economy: Output and employment approach. Journal of Economics and Development Studies, 1(1), 60–74.Google Scholar
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] (2017). Enhancing the contributions of SMEs in a global and digitalised economy. Meeting of the OECD Council at Ministerial Level Paris, 7–8 June 2017. Available at www.oecd.org/mcm/documents/C-MIN-2017–8-EN.pdf accessed 7 June 2018.Google Scholar
Peredo, A. M. and McLean, M. (2010). Indigenous development and the cultural captivity of entrepreneurship. Business & Society, 52(4), 592–620.Google Scholar
Pirsch, J., Gupta, S. and Landreth, G. (2007) A framework for understanding Corporate Social Responsibility programs as a continuum: An explanatory study. Journal of Business Ethics, 70, 125–40.Google Scholar
Quazi, A. and O’Brien, D. (2000). An empirical test of a cross-national model of corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 25, 33–51.Google Scholar
Rahman, S. (2011). Evaluation of definitions: Ten dimensions of corporate social responsibility. World Review of Business Research, 1(1), 166–76.Google Scholar
Russo, A. and Tencati, A. (2008). Formal vs. informal CSR strategies: Evidence from Italian micro, small, medium-sized, and large firms. Journal of Business Ethics, 85, 339–53. 10.1007/s10551-008-9736-x.Google Scholar
Spence, L. J. and Rutherfoord, R. (2003). Small business and empirical perspectives in business ethics: Editorial. Journal of Business Ethics, 47(1), 1–5.Google Scholar
Steel, W. F. and Snodgrass, D. (2008). Raising productivity and reducing risks of household enterprises: Diagnostic methodology framework. World Bank Africa Region Analysis on the Informal Economy. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Sweeney, L. (2007). Corporate social responsibility in Ireland: Barriers and opportunities experienced by SMEs when undertaking CSR. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 7(4), 516–23.Google Scholar
Truong, V. D. (2018). Tourism, poverty alleviation, and the informal economy: The street vendors of Hanoi, Vietnam. Tourism Recreation Research, 43(1), 52–67.Google Scholar
Uzo, U. and Adigwe, J. O. (2016). Cultural norms and cultural agents in buyer-seller negotiation processes and outcomes. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 36(2), 126–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2016.1188707.Google Scholar
Uzo, U. and Mair, J. (2014). Source and patterns of organizational defiance of formal institutions: Insights from Nollywood, the Nigerian movie industry. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 8, 56–74. http://doi:10.1002/sej.1171.Google Scholar
Vanek, J., Chen, M. A., Carré, F., Heintz, J. and Hussmanns, R. (2014). Statistics on the informal economy: Definitions, regional estimates and challenges. WIEGO Working Paper (Statistics) 2, available at www.wiego.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/Vanek-Statistics-WIEGO-WP2.pdf accessed 28 March 2018.Google Scholar
Visser, W. (2012). Practising social responsibility without the CSR label. The Guardian. www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/blog/smes-social-responsibility-without-csr-label accessed 7 June 2018.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×