The so-called informal
economy dominates everyday life in contemporary Morocco. An overwhelming majority of the
urban population operates outside the ''formalized national economy'' in which it is either unable to participate or can participate only under unequal and demeaning terms. The aim of the present article is two-fold. First, it seeks to interrogate the very notion of ''informality''. As a
social phenomenon, the ''informal economy'' is real enough, but what does it refer to exactly? And what is the nature of the relationship between formal and informal
economic activities? Second, the article seeks to discuss the implications of the
globalization of capitalism for the complex ''informal'' economic sectors in Morocco. More specifically, how has the launching of so-called structural adjustment policies in the early 1980s further marginalized those in the already marginal areas of the economy? At another level, how has globalization contributed to the growth and invigoration of marginal economic
activities and structures? And, finally, what are some of the cultural and political implications of the so-called informal economy?
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