The hidden opportunities of the informal economy | Niti Bhan

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: bian hao

The informal markets of Africa are stereotypically seen

非洲的非正式市場

被很刻板印象地認為是混亂且懶散的。

as chaotic and lackadaisical.

The downside of hearing the word "informal"

聽到「非正式」這個詞的缺點就是

is this automatic grand association we have,

會讓我們自動產生聯想，

which is very negative,

且是很負面的聯想。

and it's had significant consequences and economic losses,

它會有嚴重的後果和經濟上的損失，

easily adding -- or subtracting -- 40 to 60 percent of the profit margin

很容易就會增加或減少 40%~60% 的毛利率，

for the informal markets alone.

這僅是非正式市場的數據。

As part of a task of mapping the informal trade ecosystem,

為了對映非正式貿易生態系統，

we've done an extensive literature review

我們的部分工作是大量探討文獻，

of all the reports and research on cross-border trade in East Africa,

包括所有關於東非 跨境貿易的報告和研究，

going back 20 years.

共回溯了二十年。

This was to prepare us for fieldwork to understand what was the problem,

讓我們準備好田野調查工作， 去實際了解問題，

what was holding back informal trade in the informal sector.

到底是什麼讓非正式貿易 一直留在非正式部門中。

What we discovered over the last 20 years was,

我們發現過去二十年來，

nobody had distinguished between illicit --

沒有人去區分「非法」，

which is like smuggling or contraband in the informal sector --

像是非正式部門中的 走私或非法買賣，

from the legal but unrecorded,

與「合法但沒被記錄的貿易」，

such as tomatoes, oranges, fruit.

比如蕃茄、橘子、水果。

This criminalization --

這種犯罪化──

what in Swahili refers to as "biashara," which is the trade or the commerce,

斯華西里語的「biashara」 意思是貿易或商業，

versus "magendo," which is the smuggling or contraband --

相對於表示走私或非法買賣的 「magendo」──

this criminalization of the informal sector,

這種把非正式部門犯罪化的現象──

in English, by not distinguishing between these aspects,

在英文中並沒有區別這些面向──

easily can cost each African economy between 60 to 80 percent addition

很容易就會讓每個非洲經濟體

在每年的 GDP 成長率上 增加了 60%~80% 的成本，

on the annual GDP growth rate,

because we are not recognizing the engine

因為我們沒有認清

什麼是讓經濟持續運行和成長的引擎。

of what keeps the economies running.

The informal sector is growing jobs at four times the rate

非正式部門增加的工作機會

是傳統「正式」經濟──

of the traditional formal economy,

有時被許多人稱為 「現代」經濟──的四倍。

or "modern" economy, as many call it.

It offers employment and income generation opportunities

它提供就業機會和金錢收入

to the most "unskilled" in conventional disciplines.

給傳統產業中最沒技術的人。

But can you make a french fry machine out of an old car?

但你能用一台老車子 來做一台炸薯條機器嗎？

So, this, ladies and gentlemen,

所以，各位先生女士，

is what so desperately needs to be recognized.

這就是迫切需要被認清的事情。

As long as the current assumptions hold that this is criminal,

只要目前的假設仍然認為這是犯罪、

this is shadow,

這是陰影、

this is illegal,

這是非法的，

there will be no attempt at integrating the informal economic ecosystem

就不會有人嘗試將 非正式經濟生態系統

和正式或甚至全球 經濟生態系統做整合。

with the formal or even the global one.

I'm going to tell you a story of Teresia,

我要告訴各位關於泰瑞西雅的故事，

a trader who overturned all our assumptions,

她是個推翻我們所有假設的商人，

made us question all the stereotypes that we'd gone in on,

她讓我們質疑根據過去二十年文獻探討

based on 20 years of literature review.

產生出的所有刻板印象。

Teresia sells clothes under a tree in a town called Malaba,

在一個叫馬拉巴的鎮上， 泰瑞西雅在樹下販售衣服，

馬拉巴位在烏干達與肯亞的交界。

on the border of Uganda and Kenya.

You think it's very simple, don't you?

你認為這很簡單，是嗎？

We'll go hang up new clothes from the branches,

我們只要把新衣服掛在樹枝上，

put out the tarp, settle down, wait for customers,

準備好防水布， 安頓好，等客人上門，

and there we have it.

這樣就好了。

She was everything we were expecting according to the literature,

她完全是我們根據文獻及研究

所期待的樣子，

to the research,

right down to she was a single mom driven to trade,

包括她是單親媽媽，被迫去做生意，

supporting her kids.

以供養孩子。

So what overturned our assumptions?

是什麼推翻了我們的假設？

What surprised us?

什麼讓我們吃驚？

First, Teresia paid the county government market fees

首先，泰瑞西雅每個工作日

都支付郡政府市場費，

every single working day

for the privilege of setting up shop under her tree.

才被允許在她的樹下設立商店。

She's been doing it for seven years,

她七年來都這麼做，

and she's been getting receipts.

且她一直有拿收據。

She keeps records.

她都有做記錄。

We're seeing not a marginal,

我們看到的並不是邊緣的、

underprivileged,

弱勢的、

vulnerable African woman trader by the side of the road -- no.

脆弱的非洲路邊女商人──不是。

We were seeing somebody who's keeping sales records for years;

我們看到的是數年來 都保有銷售記錄的人；

somebody who had an entire ecosystem of retail that comes in from Uganda

她有完整的零售生態系統，包括：

來自烏干達的回收存貨零售商，

to pick up inventory;

someone who's got handcarts bringing the goods in,

用以進貨的手推車，

or the mobile money agent who comes to collect cash

以及晚上收攤後來收款的 行動貨幣代理人。

at the end of the evening.

Can you guess how much Teresia spends, on average,

猜猜看泰瑞西雅

每個月在存貨上平均花多少錢？

each month on inventory --

stocks of new clothes that she gets from Nairobi?

也就是她花多少錢 從奈洛比買進新的衣服？

One thousand five hundred US dollars.

$1,500 美金。

That's around 20,000 US dollars invested in trade goods and services

換算出來是每年投資 美金兩萬元在貿易商品

以及服務上。

every year.

This is Teresia,

這就是泰瑞西雅，

the invisible one,

隱形人，

the hidden middle.

隱藏的中間部份。

And she's only the first rung of the small entrepreneurs,

她只是這些市場小鎮中找得到的

the micro-businesses that can be found in these market towns.

小型創業家、微企業的第一線而已。

At least in the larger Malaba border, she's at the first rung.

至少她在更大的馬拉布邊境是第一線。

The people further up the value chain

在價值鏈更上方的人

are easily running three lines of business,

輕易就能經營三種行業，

investing 2,500 to 3,000 US dollars every month.

每月投資 $2,500~$3,000 美金。

So the problem turned out that it wasn't the criminalization;

結果發現了問題並不在於犯罪化；

you can't really criminalize someone you're charging receipts from.

你不能把你收了費 還給了收據的對象犯罪化。

It's the lack of recognition of their skilled occupations.

問題在於缺乏 對於他們擅長之職業的認知。

The bank systems and structures have no means to recognize them

銀行制度和結構

無法將它們認可為微企業，

as micro-businesses,

much less the fact that, you know,

更不用說，你們知道的，

her tree doesn't have a forwarding address.

她的樹沒有轉交地址。

So she's trapped in the middle.

所以她被困在中間。

She's falling through the cracks of our assumptions.

她落入我們假設間的裂縫。

You know all those microloans to help African women traders?

你們知道有微貸款可以 協助非洲女商人吧？

They're going to loan her 50 dollars or 100 dollars.

這些貸款可以借她 $50 或 $100。

What's she going to do with it?

用這些錢她能做什麼？

She spends 10 times that amount every month

她每個月的花費是十倍之多；

just on inventory --

而且只是存貨的花費而已，

we're not talking about the additional services

我們還沒談到額外的服務

or the support ecosystem.

或是支援生態系統。

These are the ones who fit neither the policy stereotype

這些人既不符合

of the low-skilled and the marginalized,

低技能、被邊緣化的政策刻板印象，

nor the white-collar, salaried office worker

也不是坐辦公桌的白領薪水階級

or civil servant with a pension

或領退休金的公職人員，

that the middle classes are allegedly composed of.

那些所謂的中產階級。

Instead, what we have here are the proto-SMEs

我們有的反而是中小型企業的雛形，

these are the fertile seeds of businesses and enterprises

是富饒的公司、企業種子，

that keep the engines running.

它們能保持經濟的引擎運作，

They put food on your table.

讓你能溫飽。

Even here in this hotel, the invisible ones --

即使在這個飯店中，隱形人──

the butchers, the bakers the candlestick makers --

屠夫、麵包師、做蠟燭的人──

they make the machines that make your french fries

他們製做你的炸薯條機器、

and they make your beds.

製做你的床。

These are the invisible businesswomen trading across borders,

她們是隱形的女商人，做跨境貿易，

all on the side of the road,

都在路邊做生意，

and so they're invisible to data gatherers.

所以對於資料收集者而言 他們是隱形的。

And they're mashed together with the vast informal sector

而他們被算在廣大的 非正式部門當中，

that doesn't bother to distinguish between smugglers and tax evaders

這個部門不願花心力去 把走私者、避稅者、

and those running illegal whatnot,

非法經營者，

and the ladies who trade,

與做貿易的女子、

and who put food on the table and send their kids to university.

為家計和送孩子上大學 而工作的女子給區別開來。

So that's really what I'm asking here.

所以，這是我在此要請求的。

That's all that we need to start by doing.

我們需要開始有所行動。

Can we start by recognizing the skills, the occupations?

我們能否從認可 這些技能、職業開始？

We could transform the informal economy by beginning with this recognition

從認可開始， 我們能轉換非正式經濟，

and then designing the customized doorways for them to enter

接著設計出客製化的門徑讓他們進入，

or integrate with the formal,

或和正式經濟、

with the global,

全球經濟、

with the entire system.

整個系統做整合。

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

各位先生女士，謝謝你們。

(Applause)

（掌聲）