A culture of informality

This article offers an ethnographic account of informality, showing the complicity between the formal sector and the informal economy. Taking the reader on a car journey of urban disorganisation and traffic jams in Mexico City, the analysis shows how informality has become part of an everyday social contract. It is argued that the diverse world of informal practices, working as a popular survival strategy, is also entrenched in the workings of formal institutions, which draw on under-the-counter agreements and exchanges with the illegal economy, be that in the construction of public works in the city, in film and clothes piracy or in the public provision of water, transport, light or Internet services. The global hegemonic system could not function without these agreements: the transition from informality to illegality is slippery. If Mexico City is a global city it is not just for participating in the networks of transnational corporations, consulting firms and international tourism; it is also because of its networks with super brands in legal and illegal production. The article concludes by suggesting that an informal system of production, transactions and distribution of goods and services linking entrepreneurs from all continents can position the city on a global scale through non-hegemonic globalisation. 本文从种族的角度论述非正规性，显示了正规部门与非正规经济之间的共谋。我们带读者踏上一段在墨西哥城的城市混乱和交通堵塞中的汽车之旅，在此基础上，我们的分析显示了非正规性如何成为日常社会契约的一部分。我们认为，作为一种普遍的生存策略，各种非正规性做法其实已深深嵌入了正规体制的运作，而正规体制则利用了与非法经济的“台下”协议和交流。无论是在城市公共工程建设、电影和服装盗版还是在公共供水、交通、照明或互联网服务方面都是如此。没有这些协议，全球霸权体系就无法运作：非正规性很容易演变成非法性。如果说墨西哥城是一个全球性城市，这不仅仅是因为她参与了跨国公司、咨询公司和国际旅游业网络，也是因为其参与了超级品牌的合法和非法生产网络。文章最后提出，一个将来自各大洲的企业家联系起来的、商品和服务的非正式生产、交易和分配系统，可以通过非霸权式的全球化让这座城市成为全球性城市。