Ted Talks :: Robert Neuwirth :: The power of the informal economy

I’m thinking of turning Thursday into an educational day here on Don’t Party but that is all dependant on how eager you all are to learn! I have found myself watching more and more Ted Talks every week and this talk by Robert Neuwirth is by far one of the most fascinating talks I have seen in a while. I have no real interest in the economy, besides the basic interest anyone might have, but the thinking that Robert puts forward on the informal economies of Africa should be of interest to anyone trying to make a living on this continent! Even MTN make an appearance in the talk!

Robert Neuwirth spent four years among the chaotic stalls of street markets, talking to pushcart hawkers and gray marketers, to study the remarkable “System D,” the world’s unlicensed economic network. Responsible for some 1.8 billion jobs, it’s an economy of underappreciated power and scope.