Abstract
This article analyses the capacity of informal worker associations to provide social protection during times of multifaceted crises in Kenya and Tanzania. Focusing on informal workers in the construction, micro-trade and passenger transport sectors before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, we find that social cushioning provided by associations is more fragile during a covariate crisis than during idiosyncratic shocks. Country- and sector-level differences in crisis response emerge, yet similarities are also revealed as most associations restricted or altered their activities. Our findings highlight the need to strengthen formal protection systems to better handle covariate crises and thereby also prevent informal support structures from collapsing.
