The devil's in the dichotomies:Assessing ‘informality' through a decolonial lens

Development discourse is replete with expressions such as the “informal economy”, “informal labour” and “informal settlements”, writes Annalena Oppel. But behind the outwardly neutral use of these terms, how far does the formal/informal dichotomy carry forward inherent and historical hierarchies? What do these terms conceal – and what does a progressive, expansive way forward look like?