Difference between revisions of "Chaza (Colombia)"

The International Labour Organization estimates that about half of the working population in Latin America and the Caribbean is employed in the informal economy (ILO, 2024:12 <ref> ILO, 2024.  Strategy for the promotion of formalization in Latin America and the Caribbean 2024-2030.Geneva: ILO. 76pp.</ref>). In the Andes region that proportion ranges from 55.9% in Colombia to the highest in the whole region, 84.5% in Bolivia.

The International Labour Organization estimates that about half of the working population in Latin America and the Caribbean is employed in the informal economy (ILO, 2024:12 <ref> ILO, 2024.  Strategy for the promotion of formalization in Latin America and the Caribbean 2024-2030.Geneva: ILO. 76pp.</ref>). In the Andes region that proportion ranges from 55.9% in Colombia to the highest in the whole region, 84.5% in Bolivia.

The ''chazas'' are under constant siege from the authorities for many reasons, ranging from unfair competition with the formal sector to food insecurity or precarious work. Nevertheless, there is a certain ambivalence towards these informal activities, which ultimately allows them to coexist with the formal economy, the authorities and the public, making them a highly interesting subject for social research (Davis, 2012 <ref> Davis, Diane E. 2012. Fundamentos analíticos para el estudio de la informalidad: una breve introducción. In F.Alba and F. Lesemann (Coor) Informalidad urbana e incertidumbre ¡cómo estudiar la informalización en  las metrópolis?. México: UNAM</ref>; Portes and Haller <ref> 2004. Portes, A.and Haller, W. 2004. La economía informal. Santiago: CEPAL</ref>).   

The ''chazas'' are under constant siege from the authorities for many reasons, ranging from unfair competition with the formal sector to food insecurity or precarious work. Nevertheless, there is a certain ambivalence towards these informal activities, which ultimately allows them to coexist with the formal economy, the authorities and the public, making them a highly interesting subject for social research (Davis, 2012 <ref> Davis, Diane E. 2012. Fundamentos analíticos para el estudio de la informalidad: una breve introducción. In F.Alba and F. Lesemann (Coor) Informalidad urbana e incertidumbre ¡cómo estudiar la informalización en  las metrópolis?. México: UNAM</ref>; Portes and Haller <ref> 2004. Portes, A.and Haller, W. 2004. La economía informal. Santiago: CEPAL</ref>).   

From an economic point of view, ''chazas'' are an example of survival-driven entrepreneurship, resulting from the variability of individuals' tolerance to inequality in the course of economic development (Hernandez 2008 <ref> Hernández, I. 2008. Empresa, innovación y desarrollo. Bogotá: UniBiblos</ref>).

From an economic point of view, ''chazas'' are an example of survival-driven entrepreneurship, resulting from the variability of individuals' tolerance to inequality in the course of economic development (Hernandez 2008 <ref> Hernández, I. 2008. Empresa, innovación y desarrollo. Bogotá: UniBiblos</ref>).

In this precise economic sense, the ''chaza'' is a creative response to the mismatch between the goals proposed by the social system and the means provided by the system to achieve these goals. It is precisely for this reason that some sociologists see ''chazas'' as an innovative response to anomie (Gómez-Morales, 2013<ref> Gómez-Morales, Y.J. 2013. Reconsiderar la innovación entre la informalidad y la ilegalidad. In O. Restrepo-Forero (ed.), Ensamblado en Colombia. Bogotá: Centro de Estudios Sociales–Universidad Nacional de Colombia: 429-435.</ref>). Thus social and economic theory agree on reconsidering innovation in a way that does not reduce it to state of the art technology or equate it with something new (Edgerton 1999<ref> Edgerton, D. 1999. ‘From innovation to use. Ten eclectic theses on the historiography of technology’, History and Technology, 16(2): 111-136</ref>).

In this precise economic sense, the ''chaza'' is a creative response to the mismatch between the goals proposed by the social system and the means provided by the system to achieve these goals. It is precisely for this reason that some sociologists see ''chazas'' as an innovative response to anomie (Gómez-Morales, 2013<ref> Gómez-Morales, Y.J. 2013. Reconsiderar la innovación entre la informalidad y la ilegalidad. In O. Restrepo-Forero (ed.), Ensamblado en Colombia. Bogotá: Centro de Estudios Sociales–Universidad Nacional de Colombia: 429-435.</ref>). Thus social and economic theory agree on reconsidering innovation in a way that does not reduce it to state of the art technology or equate it with something new (Edgerton 1999<ref> Edgerton, D. 1999. ‘From innovation to use. Ten eclectic theses on the historiography of technology’, History and Technology, 16(2): 111-136</ref>).

In this sense, social perspectives on design see ''chazas'' as a Lego game, that is, as a modular assembly whose size, number of pieces and type of components are function of the resources-at-hand, the type of product(s) to be commercialized and the characteristics of the public space in which it will operates (Ramirez-Diaz 2024<ref> Ramírez-Díaz, C. 2024. Diseñar en el Sur: sobre la racionalidad de un diseño mestizo. In C. Ramírez-Ajiaco and Y.J. Gómez-Morales (eds.), Ensamblando límites, informalidad, fraude e innovación. Bogotá: Editorial Uniagustiniana: 1-42

In this sense, social perspectives on design see ''chazas'' as a Lego game, that is, as a modular assembly whose size, number of pieces and type of components are function of the resources-at-hand, the type of product(s) to be commercialized and the characteristics of the public space in which it will operates (Ramirez-Diaz 2024<ref> Ramírez-Díaz, C. 2024. Diseñar en el Sur: sobre la racionalidad de un diseño mestizo. In C. Ramírez-Ajiaco and Y.J. Gómez-Morales (eds.), Ensamblando límites, informalidad, fraude e innovación. Bogotá: Editorial Uniagustiniana: 1-42

</ref>). There are ''chazas'' of all kinds of products, from garbage food to cigarettes by the piece, from clothes to mobile phone accessories, from cups of coffee, herbal tea or fresh fruit to more elaborate recipes cooked on the spot. There are book ''chazas'', CD ''chazas'', obsolete tools and appliances ''chazas'', and even ''chazas'' of witchcraft and some other utilitarian spiritual artefacts.

</ref>). There are ''chazas'' of all kinds of products, from garbage food to cigarettes by the piece, from clothes to mobile phone accessories, from cups of coffee, herbal tea or fresh fruit to more elaborate recipes cooked on the spot. There are book ''chazas'', CD ''chazas'', obsolete tools and appliances ''chazas'', and even ''chazas'' of witchcraft and some other utilitarian spiritual artefacts.

''Chazas'' are widespread in large and medium-sized cities in Colombia, and similar collections can be found throughout Latin America - not sure what they are called, and there is no record in the encyclopaedia for cross-referencing in the region. There are ''chazas'' in México City, La Paz, Lima and Quito. In all these cases, one thing is certain: there is a large second-hand citizenry that has made a living from operating the ''chaza'' on the margins of the state (Ramirez-Ajiaco y Gómez-Morales 2024<ref> Ramírez-Ajiaco C. and Gómez-Morales, Y.J. (eds.) 2024. Ensamblando límites, informalidad, fraude e innovación. Bogotá: Editorial Uniagustiniana</ref>).

''Chazas'' are widespread in large and medium-sized cities in Colombia, and similar collections can be found throughout Latin America - not sure what they are called, and there is no record in the encyclopaedia for cross-referencing in the region. There are ''chazas'' in México City, La Paz, Lima and Quito. In all these cases, one thing is certain: there is a large second-hand citizenry that has made a living from operating the ''chaza'' on the margins of the state (Ramirez-Ajiaco y Gómez-Morales 2024<ref> Ramírez-Ajiaco C. and Gómez-Morales, Y.J. (eds.) 2024. Ensamblando límites, informalidad, fraude e innovación. Bogotá: Editorial Uniagustiniana</ref>).

==References==

==References==

<references />

<references />