The Informal and Underground Economy of the South Texas Border

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book The Informal and Underground Economy of the South Texas Border by Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani ISBN: 9780292739284
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: November 15, 2012
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani
ISBN: 9780292739284
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: November 15, 2012
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English
Much has been debated about the presence of undocumented workers along the South Texas border, but these debates often overlook the more complete dimension: the region's longstanding, undocumented economies as a whole. Borderlands commerce that evades government scrutiny can be categorized into informal economies (the unreported exchange of legal goods and services) or underground economies (criminal economic activities that, obviously, occur without government oversight). Examining long-term study, observation, and participation in the border region, with the assistance of hundreds of locally embedded informants, The Informal and Underground Economy of the South Texas Border presents unique insights into the causes and ramifications of these economic channels.The third volume in UT–Pan American's Borderlife Project, this eye-opening investigation draws on vivid ethnographic interviews, bolstered by decades of supplemental data, to reveal a culture where divided loyalties, paired with a lack of access to protection under the law and other forms of state-sponsored recourse, have given rise to social spectra that often defy stereotypes. A cornerstone of the authors' findings is that these economic activities increase when citizens perceive the state's intervention as illegitimate, whether in the form of fees, taxes, or regulation. From living conditions in the impoverished colonias to President Felipe Calderón's futile attempts to eradicate police corruption in Mexico, this book is a riveting portrait of benefit versus risk in the wake of a "no-man's-land" legacy.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Much has been debated about the presence of undocumented workers along the South Texas border, but these debates often overlook the more complete dimension: the region's longstanding, undocumented economies as a whole. Borderlands commerce that evades government scrutiny can be categorized into informal economies (the unreported exchange of legal goods and services) or underground economies (criminal economic activities that, obviously, occur without government oversight). Examining long-term study, observation, and participation in the border region, with the assistance of hundreds of locally embedded informants, The Informal and Underground Economy of the South Texas Border presents unique insights into the causes and ramifications of these economic channels.The third volume in UT–Pan American's Borderlife Project, this eye-opening investigation draws on vivid ethnographic interviews, bolstered by decades of supplemental data, to reveal a culture where divided loyalties, paired with a lack of access to protection under the law and other forms of state-sponsored recourse, have given rise to social spectra that often defy stereotypes. A cornerstone of the authors' findings is that these economic activities increase when citizens perceive the state's intervention as illegitimate, whether in the form of fees, taxes, or regulation. From living conditions in the impoverished colonias to President Felipe Calderón's futile attempts to eradicate police corruption in Mexico, this book is a riveting portrait of benefit versus risk in the wake of a "no-man's-land" legacy.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Surrealism in Greece by Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani
Cover of the book Coevolution of Animals and Plants by Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani
Cover of the book Isaeus by Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani
Cover of the book Wild Tongues by Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani
Cover of the book Brazil and the World System by Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani
Cover of the book The Euro-American Cinema by Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani
Cover of the book The Mexican Mahjar by Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani
Cover of the book Alien Constructions by Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani
Cover of the book Reflections on Latin American Development by Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani
Cover of the book Ethnographic Film by Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani
Cover of the book Historic Native Peoples of Texas by Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani
Cover of the book A Tortilla Is Like Life by Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani
Cover of the book A Grammar of Mam, A Mayan Language by Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani
Cover of the book Literary Bondage by Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani
Cover of the book Sanctified and Chicken-Fried by Chad Richardson, Michael J. Pisani
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy