The Role of Meso-Level Institutions on Informal Enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa

We conducted a qualitative study in Malian rural communities (SSA), which are characterized by high levels of poverty, illiteracy, institutional asymmetry, and informal enterprises. In this setting, formal macro-level institutions such as national laws and regulations are weakly enforced. Instead, meso-level institutions-formal and informal-are vibrant. Through our data analysis emerges that informal enterprises rely on meso-level traditional informal institutions, and meso-level formal institutions for navigating institutional incongruences and mobilizing financial, human and social resources. With this paper, we provide a new framework for understanding how meso-level institutions influence the way through which informal enterprises mobilize key resources.     «

We conducted a qualitative study in Malian rural communities (SSA), which are characterized by high levels of poverty, illiteracy, institutional asymmetry, and informal enterprises. In this setting, formal macro-level institutions such as national laws and regulations are weakly enforced. Instead, meso-level institutions-formal and informal-are vibrant. Through our data analysis emerges that informal enterprises rely on meso-level traditional informal institutions, and meso-level formal institut...     »