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Confronting Leaders at the Apex of the State: The Growth of the Unofficial Economy in Congo

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 May 2014

Kisangani N. F. Emizet
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Abstract:

This study examines ways that political leaders influence the development of the unofficial economy in Congo. Using aggregate data as well as data from observation and two surveys conducted in 1991–1992, it demonstrates that the unofficial economy develops not only as a reaction against an over-regulated state, but also because of a market segmentation along gender lines, state policy in defining property rights, and networks of relationships that partly shape the behavior of bureaucrats who act to satisfy their own preferences. Although the unofficial economy creates institutions that can challenge state hegemony, it neither allocates resources equally among the participants nor provides an equal access to high-profit activities to all. The findings suggest that women are more likely to be involved in low-value profit sectors of the unofficial economy than men. Because the unofficial economy reinforces mutual trust and reciprocity, it tends to create a new idea of social order and interactions.

Résumé:

Résumé:

Cette étude examine les manières dont les dirigeants politiques influencent le développement de l'économie parallèle au Congo. Utilisant un ensemble d'agrégats économiques aussi bien que des données empiriques et deux enquêtes réalisées en 1991–1992, cette étude démontre que l'économie parallèle se développe non seulement en tant que réaction contre un contrôle étatique trop excessif, mais aussi du fait d'autres facteurs: une segmentation du marché selon des critères de sexe (homme/femme), la politique de l'état relative aux droits à la propriété, et des réseaux de relations qui déterminent en partie la conduite de bureaucrates pour la satisfaction de leurs propres préférences. Bien que cette économie non officielle crée des institutions capables de remettre en question l'hégémonie de l'état, elle ne répartit guère équitablement ses ressources parmi ses membres ni ne leur donne à tous le même accès aux activités hautement lucratives. Les conclusions de cette étude suggèrent qu'il est plus probable que ce soit les femmes plutôt que les hommes qui s'adonnent aux secteurs les moins lucratifs de l'économie parallèle. Du fait que l'économie parallèle renforce la confiance mutuelle et la réciprocité, elle tend aussi à créer une nouvelle idée de l'ordre social et des interactions.

Type
Articles
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 41 , Issue 1 , April 1998 , pp. 99 - 137
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 1998

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