Die Reziprozität zwischen dem formellen und informellen Sektor: eine Interpretation anhand von biographischem Material aus Südkorea

Abstract The differentiation between the lowest strata of the working class (proto-proletariat, sub-proletariat, marginal mass, floating mass etc.) and the industrial worker proper cannot be a meaningful categorization of the urban population, especially in developing countries. This essay analyses documentation (autobiographies, interviews, reports) on urban workers in South Korea. Family life is used as a base to determine the degree of reciprocity between the formal and informal sectors in terms of the recruitment and reproduction of working power and the interchange of goods and information. Because of the rapid process of urbanization, the working population in this society is losing its roots in rural areas. This in turn is increasing the importance of the informal sector as the basis of reproduction for the working class.