Introduction: informalization and the long term / Faruk Tabak -- The periodic casualization of work: the informal economy, casual labor, and the longue durée / Dave Broad -- The periodic resurgence of non-factory-based production: the case of waged homework / Jamie Faricellia Dangler -- The rise and demise of Pax Americana and the changing geography and structure of production / Faruk Tabak -- The demise of Pax Americana and the emergence of informalization as a systematic trend / Saskia Sassen -- Liberalization from above and the future of the informal sector: land, shelter, and informality in the periphery / Çağlar Keyder -- The growing significance of reciprocity from below: marginality and informality under debate / Aníbal Quijano -- Conclusion: under the shadows of capital / Michaeline A. Crichlow.