The Global Informality Project is a leading online resource for the world's open secrets, unwritten rules and hidden practices, broadly defined as 'ways of getting things done.' This global and growing database of invisible, yet powerful informal practices is made possible by remarkable collaboration of scholars from five continents. Building on the two printed volumes of the Global Encyclopaedia of Informality, the project:
- enables context-rich analysis and comparison of practices from all over the world
- connects those interested in informality
- serves as a teaching and learning tool for the academic community, policy makers, businesses and the public
THE PROJECT
The Global Informality Project
- What is informality?
- About the project
- Main findings
- Recent and past informality events
Join our informality network
- Participate in the Global Informality Project
- Connect with informality scholars
- Subscribe to our mailing list
- Get in touch
INFORMAL PRACTICES
Explore our database
- A-Z of informal practices
- How to find an entry
- Browse by country, theme or cluster
Latest practices in the database
- 20 July 2026: Ne nash chelovek
- 21 June 2026: Palaver-settling (West and Central Africa)
- 12 May 2026: Side Hustles via Social Media (Oman, Kuwait and the Gulf)
- 10 April 2026: Elephant in the Room (Global)
INFORMALITY RESOURCES
The Global Encyclopaedia of Informality
- Download the books for free
- Browse through the table of contents and read the encyclopaedia online
Discover more resources
- Teaching and learning about informality
- Theoretical and comparative analyses of the practices in our database
- Directions in informality research
- Recent informality publications from our authors
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INFORM has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 693537. |