SOCIOGRAPHY OF THE STATUS OF INFORMAL ENTREPRENEUR IN KASSERINE, TUNISIA

Abstract The informal economy is a phenomenon that is mainly found in developing countries. Africa is the continent that has the most informal people living in the informal sector. The aim of this research is to conceptualize and understand the phenomenon of the informal economy; first, through a review of the literature on the subject, and second, through the study of three informal enterprises in Kasserine, Tunisia. The literature review will attempt to place the phenomenon in question in its Tunisian context, i.e. cultural, political and economic, while the empirical study will aim to grasp the logic of the functioning of informal business. In the light of our results, informal enterprises in Kasserine do not quite correspond to the quantitative definitions of informal enterprise developed by the authors studied. However, largely confirming our hypothesis, we have observed that its operating logic is significantly more social than is the case for modern capitalist companies. Essentially, the informal business in Kasserine exists by and for the family, which is the basis of Tunisian values.