Resumen

This paper looks into the demand for social security measures; the current coping mechanisms of informal workers;

and the impact of the current global financial crisis on the informal economy based upon a guiding principle of  "Social

security should not be seen as a cost, but as an investment in human capital", through methodolgies of:

• interviews with key stakeholders;
   
• a survey among 2,068 informal workers;
   
• case studies among 15 laid-off formal sector workers;
   
• a case study of innovative local policy in Solo aiming to formalize the informal economy.