EMNES Working Paper No 48
Abstract
This paper attempts to better understand the functioning of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) establishments in Tunisia, the economic and social role they played, the main constraints and challenges they faced and, especially, their role in formalising the informal sector. To meet these objectives, in addition to reviewing the available works dealing with this field, we have conducted interviews with 31 SSE organisations.
The results suggest that the development of the SSE contributes to the formalisation of the informal sector via many channels. The main channels are: better organisation and generating returns from scale by regrouping into a social and solidarity structure; easier access to finance; better integration into value chains; training; supporting and coaching of micro units; jobs creation in the SSE and many initiatives to open up job opportunities; and proposals emerging from the SSE and local communities to simplify and change the legal framework in order to promote formalisation.
