From crisis to survival: how informal enterprises harness the power of innovation

Abstract

Based on recent research measuring innovation in the informal sector in Mpumuza, KwaZulu-Natal, this policy brief provides fresh insights into how informal enterprises turn to innovation in response to crisis events. While the COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis that has engulfed the whole of society, it is akin to the personal and economic challenges that vulnerable informal enterprises experience repeatedly. Their experiences and innovation capabilities thus hold value in the current policy context.