Fighting the application of barrier gestures during COVID-19’s times in informal learning sector of Benin Republic

Abstract

With the recent appearance of Covid-19, managerial literature remains very little communicative about the factors of resistance acquiring barrier gestures from the social innovation perspective. This article aims at understanding the factors of resistance of informal learning actors, to adopt barrier gestures in health crisis context. Indeed, barrier measures contrast with the relationship of proximity, characteristic of the production units operating in the informal sector. Regarding our research objective, we have adopted an inductive qualitative methodology with an interpretative posture. Semi-structured interviews with 15 workshop bosses were conducted. The data collected was analyzed using content analysis. Data processing was done manually through reading and re-reading episodes during open coding. The findings help us to notice that the main factors of resistance are linked to informal sector features (precariousness, logic of survival, physical proximity), the behaviors of the target people, the additional costs to support in acquiring protective equipment, social innovation perceived in the measures and sometimes the disbelief of some bosses as well. The limits of this research are essentially related to our methodological approach due to the theoretical sensitivity of the researcher. To survive on the health crisis, the sector's actors have had to show resilience. The perspective will be to capitalize on resilience strategies developed by small businesses in the informal sector.

Keywords: Fighting, Covid-19, informal sector, learning process.

JEL Classification: O15

Paper Type: Empirical research