Overview

The idea of an informal economy emerged from, and is a critique of, the ideology of ‘economic development’. It originated from Keith Hart’s recognition of informal economic activity in 1960s Ghana. In the context of four colonialisms – German, British, Australian and Dutch – this book recounts Hart’s effort in 1972 to introduce the informal ‘sector’ into development planning in Papua New Guinea. This was problematic, because ‘the market’ was scarcely institutionalized, and traditional modes of exchange persisted stubbornly. Rather than conforming with post-colonial economic ideology, the subjected people pushed back against imposed bureaucracy to practice informal and hybrid modes of economic activity.

Full Product Details

Author:   John D. Conroy
Publisher:   Berghahn Books
Imprint:   Berghahn Books
ISBN:  

9781800739680

ISBN 10:   1800739680
Pages:   312
Publication Date:   12 May 2023
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

List of Maps Preface Acknowledgements List of Acronyms Introduction. An 'Informal' Economic History Part I: Economic Informality: An Idea and Its Relevance to Melanesia Chapter 1. Keith Hart and the Idea of Informality Chapter 2. Precursors of the Informal Economy Chapter 3. Melanesia in the Trade of the Malay Archipelago Chapter 4. Melanesian Singularity: Insights from Neoclassical Economics Chapter 5. Traditional Trade and Exchange in Papua New Guinea Chapter 6. National Capitalism in the Three New Guineas Part II: From Early Colonisation to the Pacific War Chapter 7. German and Australian New Guinea before the Pacific War Chapter 8. Chinese in New Guinea before the Pacific War Chapter 9. Hubert Murray and the Contending Moralities Chapter 10. The Idea of a Town in Anglo-Papua Chapter 11. Papuans in Town before the Pacific War Chapter 12. Hidden Valleys: A New White Highlands? Part III: Informality in the Era of Economic Development Chapter 13. Economic Development: Ideology and Apologetics Chapter 14. Obsolescence and the Preconditions for Urbanism Chapter 15. Remaking Port Moresby: The Formal Town Chapter 16. An Informal Town: Villages and Settlements Chapter 17. Reconstruction in Rabaul and the Seeds of Post-War Growth Chapter 18. Informal Economy on the Gazelle at the End of the Colonial Era Chapter 19. Chinese Enterprise in Rabaul: Apotheosis and Decline Chapter 20. Bureaucracy and Market Economy on the Frontier Chapter 21. Gorokans and Coffee in the 'Lucky Place' Chapter 22. Formality and Informality in the Coffee Economy Chapter 23. The Triumph of Capitalism? Part IV: Birth Pangs: All These Are the Beginning of Sorrows Chapter 24. The Preparatory Idea Chapter 25. Hart, Faber and the Informal Economy in Port Moresby Chapter 26. An Uneasy Trio of Formality, Informality and Hybridity Chapter 27. Dilemmas and Consequences of Urban Growth Conclusion References Index

Reviews

It is a sound piece of scholarship, directed at an interesting question with important policy implications, which ranges over a broad field of largely historical data and relevant literature. It is well written and makes a significant contribution to the literature of Papua New Guinea and to that of comparative development economics. * Ronald May, The Australian National University

“It is a sound piece of scholarship, directed at an interesting question with important policy implications, which ranges over a broad field of largely historical data and relevant literature. It is well written and makes a significant contribution to the literature of Papua New Guinea and to that of comparative development economics.” • Ronald May, The Australian National University

Author Information

John D. Conroy has been an economist and student of 'development' since 1968. He has lived and worked in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia for lengthy periods and has also had field experience in South and East Asia, and in some of the small Pacific island nations. He is a visiting scholar at the Development Policy Centre, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University.

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