Producing Against Poverty: Female and male micro-entrepreneurs in Lima, Peru

by Annelou Ypeij

Producing against Poverty is an anthropological research on micro-entrepreneurs in Lima, Peru. It analyses the way micro-producers accumulate capital. The anthropological approach of the book starts with an analysis of the daily lives of the micro-producers. Its gender approach makes a comparison between the position of men and women throughout its argumentation. The author also analyses the conditions of labourers working for micro-producers. By paying extensive attention to the subcontracting links between micro-production and the large scale production process, she carefully builds up to general conclusions which go way beyond the micro level of analysis. Micro-production reproduces poverty by subordinating important participants of the production such as women and labourers. The ultimate conclusion is that the informal sector grows not only in times of economic recession, but also in times of economic growth.

163 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2000