Increasing Political Leverage of Informal and Formal Workers' Organisations for Inclusive Development: The cases of Ghana and Benin.

This research focuses on the role of trade unions and informal workers organisations as strategic actors for inclusive development in Ghana and Benin by investigating their political leverage over decent work for informal workers. It analyses why the latter has been difficult, and investigates the conditions under which, and the possibility of coalitions through which, informal workers organisations and trade unions can be more effective. This research involves researchers from The Netherlands (African Studies Centre Leiden), Belgium (HIVA-KU Leuven), Ghana (International Institute for the Advanced Study of Cultures, Institutions and Economic Enterprise) and Bénin (Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management; University of Abomey-Calavi) as well as strategic actors like trade unions and informal workers organisations. Within this research HIVA-KU Leuven is co-responsible for the case study in Benin and for methodological aspects related to the analysis of donor strategies on informal economy issues.