Abstract
This paper summarises research findings from 2016-2020 on Samoa’s informal economy and gives consideration to the ways that the informal sector/economy is defined in the literature particularly perspectives emanating from academics in the developed world. Exploring the various debates on informality with regard to the construct of a contextualized definition of informality that matches the findings of urban Samoa. Informal economic activity as practiced throughout the developed and developing world has been described in numerous ways such as the irregular economy, shadow economy, precarious and illegal yet legitimate means to earning a livelihood. Underpinning all this, is the significant role that informality plays in providing sustainable livelihoods for the majority of the unemployed labor force in both developing and industrialized countries. This is encapsulated in the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) that provides the theoretical framework to situate the discussion on the informal sector in Apia, Samoa.
Keywords: Informal Sector, economic activity, Unemployed, Sustainable Livelihoods
