Surviving and succeeding

I would first like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Paula Nagler, for her guidance and advice throughout the thesis process. Her knowledge in, and enthusiasm for, the informal economy instigated discussions which fuelled my interest in the research topic, while her attention to detail encouraged me to be meticulous in my analysis and question my decision-making process, particularly regarding my methodology. I also valued her sense of humour during stressful times. I wish her all the best at IHS and in the future. I would also like to acknowledge Prof. Spiros Stavropoulos, the second reader of this thesis, for his valuable comments and recommendations for improvement. I extend my utmost gratitude to the GCRO for giving me access to the dataset for this thesis and for their hospitality in providing me with a desk space for six weeks in Johannesburg. Here, I attended conferences involving local government, NGOs and informal traders to gain insight into the current level of cooperation, and engaged with local informal entrepreneurs to comprehend their experiences and struggles. It was invaluable to immerse myself in the context of my research and to meet some of the authors whose work this thesis was based on. This would not have been possible without the GCRO, whose work I greatly admire. Lastly, I would like to thank the Institute for Housing and Development Studies, including the staff who helped with administrative questions and offered literature suggestions, as well as the other students in my specialisation for their support with technical queries regarding STATA and feedback during colloquiums to refine my ideas.