Globalization scholars have pointed to the changing nature of the global economy and its impact on American cities, for instance. Middle-class workers who until recently had secure formal-sector jobs and reliable safety nets now find themselves expelled from the labour market. “ Expulsions” instead of forms of exclusion are taking place in these countries with social groups who until just a couple of decades earlier were secure participants in formal labour markets.10 Moreover, informal workers in developed countries are mostly undocumented migrants from lower-income countries who, because of their legal status, fear going to the police or seeking out legal help, thus further entrapping them within these informal conditions. In the US, for instance, the neighbourhood of Harlem in New York City was documented to have a thriving informal economy exceeding one billion dollars.13 The findings of the study led a large American bank to recognize the financial demand at the bottom of the pyramid and to open two new branches in Harlem.