Amazing perspective. I agree with all the observations and comments. However there is a need to acknowledge how this informality leads to exploitation, because of lack of formality, of those who are in the lower rung of such ecosystem is also necessary.
Thank you for reading and for adding this important nuance. You're absolutely right—informality, while adaptive, can also create space for exploitation, especially for those with the least leverage in the system.
Part of the tension I’m trying to navigate is that informality isn’t inherently good or bad—it’s deeply contextual. It can both empower and exclude, often at the same time. The real danger is in viewing it only through a deficit lens, or conversely, romanticizing it as a kind of idealized alternative.
It’s a complex and layered space as we both know, and I appreciate your perspective in helping round it out.
India’s informal systems are antifragile, not in spite of their messiness, but because of their ability to absorb shocks, evolve, and remain rooted in human connection.
Amazing perspective. I agree with all the observations and comments. However there is a need to acknowledge how this informality leads to exploitation, because of lack of formality, of those who are in the lower rung of such ecosystem is also necessary.
Thank you for reading and for adding this important nuance. You're absolutely right—informality, while adaptive, can also create space for exploitation, especially for those with the least leverage in the system.
Part of the tension I’m trying to navigate is that informality isn’t inherently good or bad—it’s deeply contextual. It can both empower and exclude, often at the same time. The real danger is in viewing it only through a deficit lens, or conversely, romanticizing it as a kind of idealized alternative.
It’s a complex and layered space as we both know, and I appreciate your perspective in helping round it out.
India’s informal systems are antifragile, not in spite of their messiness, but because of their ability to absorb shocks, evolve, and remain rooted in human connection.