Alan Middleton is Emeritus Professor of Urban Studies at Birmingham City University, UK, Leverhulme Emeritus Fellow, and Chief Executive Officer of the Governance Foundation.

• 1. Artisans and the informal sector in Ecuador 2. Informals, entrepreneurs and artisans 3. Artisans in Quito, 1975-2015 4. Neoliberalism in Ecuador 5. Choosing informality 6. Formal-informal relations: backward linkages 7. Customers, clients and formal markets 8. Family firms, homeworkers and home-based enterprises 9. Social networks and the theft of social capital 10. Artisans and the state 11. Microfinance and micro-firm development in context 12. Artisan perspectives on bank credit 13. Main issues and future prospects 14. Conclusions: theory, ideology and evidence

"Alan Middleton’s landmark book is a longitudinal study of artisans, entrepreneurs and precarious family firms in Quito, one of the two major cities in Ecuador. He relates his research to the global literature on economic development, informality, regulation, micro-enterprise, micro-credit and social capital, and he exposes the failings of many famous authors who have made grand assertions on the basis of superficial studies. Covering the 40 years from 1975 to 2015, the research is innovative and multi-faceted, giving us a detailed understanding of how family and home-based enterprises respond to dramatic changes in national economies and government policies." —Ray Bromley, Professor of Geography, Planning and Latin American Studies, State University of New York at Albany, USA

Alan Middleton is Emeritus Professor of Urban Studies at Birmingham City University, UK, Leverhulme Emeritus Fellow, and Chief Executive Officer of the Governance Foundation.

• 1. Artisans and the informal sector in Ecuador 2. Informals, entrepreneurs and artisans 3. Artisans in Quito, 1975-2015 4. Neoliberalism in Ecuador 5. Choosing informality 6. Formal-informal relations: backward linkages 7. Customers, clients and formal markets 8. Family firms, homeworkers and home-based enterprises 9. Social networks and the theft of social capital 10. Artisans and the state 11. Microfinance and micro-firm development in context 12. Artisan perspectives on bank credit 13. Main issues and future prospects 14. Conclusions: theory, ideology and evidence

"Alan Middleton’s landmark book is a longitudinal study of artisans, entrepreneurs and precarious family firms in Quito, one of the two major cities in Ecuador. He relates his research to the global literature on economic development, informality, regulation, micro-enterprise, micro-credit and social capital, and he exposes the failings of many famous authors who have made grand assertions on the basis of superficial studies. Covering the 40 years from 1975 to 2015, the research is innovative and multi-faceted, giving us a detailed understanding of how family and home-based enterprises respond to dramatic changes in national economies and government policies." —Ray Bromley, Professor of Geography, Planning and Latin American Studies, State University of New York at Albany, USA

Alan Middleton is Emeritus Professor of Urban Studies at Birmingham City University, UK, Leverhulme Emeritus Fellow, and Chief Executive Officer of the Governance Foundation.

• 1. Artisans and the informal sector in Ecuador 2. Informals, entrepreneurs and artisans 3. Artisans in Quito, 1975-2015 4. Neoliberalism in Ecuador 5. Choosing informality 6. Formal-informal relations: backward linkages 7. Customers, clients and formal markets 8. Family firms, homeworkers and home-based enterprises 9. Social networks and the theft of social capital 10. Artisans and the state 11. Microfinance and micro-firm development in context 12. Artisan perspectives on bank credit 13. Main issues and future prospects 14. Conclusions: theory, ideology and evidence

"Alan Middleton’s landmark book is a longitudinal study of artisans, entrepreneurs and precarious family firms in Quito, one of the two major cities in Ecuador. He relates his research to the global literature on economic development, informality, regulation, micro-enterprise, micro-credit and social capital, and he exposes the failings of many famous authors who have made grand assertions on the basis of superficial studies. Covering the 40 years from 1975 to 2015, the research is innovative and multi-faceted, giving us a detailed understanding of how family and home-based enterprises respond to dramatic changes in national economies and government policies." —Ray Bromley, Professor of Geography, Planning and Latin American Studies, State University of New York at Albany, USA