6 - Negotiating the Web of Associational Life

Summary

Introduction

In addition to endowments of personal ties, informal producers have also drawn on popular associations to fill gaps in business networks. Scholars of enterprise clusters have long maintained that local clubs and associations play an important role in strengthening collaborative relations among clustered firms (Nadvi & Schmitz 1994; Pyke & Sengenberger 1992; Nadvi 1998). In unequal and ethnically divided societies, however, it has been suggested that associations may fragment and marginalize rather than strengthen popular economic organization (Beall 2001; Englund 2001; McCormick 1999:1544; Gorter 1997; Wheeldon 1969). Far from consolidating small-firm dynamism, Tostensen et al. (2001:23) point out that popular associations in Africa tend to be weak and suffer from limited resources, restricting their capacity to foster collaboration, especially in times of intense economic stress.

In Aba's informal shoe and garment clusters, the developmental potential of popular association appears more encouraging. Igbo society is noted for its high levels of associational participation, and informal manufacturers are no exception. Voluntary associations operating across communal lines are commonplace in both clusters. However, the capacity of local associations to foster trust and economic efficiency is often limited by the social and economic marginality of informal producers. Social powerlessness and limitations of time and resources influence the types of associations that informal actors are able to join, and their access to benefits within them.