Making the invisible visible: Informal Innovation in South Africa

Abstract

This research is the first statistical representation of informal innovation in South Africa. It uses methodology comparable to that used in high income countries such as US, UK, Russia, China and South Korea. While data collection methods are comparable, the higher rate of informal businesses in South Africa make this research both novel in that it helps us understand informal economy innovation, and cautions direct comparisons, especially related to the rate of commercialization among innovations.