Informality and violence: Evidence from South Africa

Leonard Le Roux

No wp-2025-45, WIDER Working Paper Series from World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER)

Abstract: This paper studies the emergence of violence in legal markets, with a particular focus on the informal public transport sector in South Africa, where minibus taxis are integral to urban mobility. Despite being a legal sector, the taxi industry is plagued by significant and persistent violence, imposing substantial social costs. Using novel administrative data from the government's operating licence system, route-level pricing information, and a unique dataset of taxi-related violence compiled from print and online media, I examine the interplay between competition, firm growth, and violence.

Keywords: Informality; Transportation; Violence; South Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev, nep-iue and nep-tre
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