** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO INCREASE THE PROSPERITY OF THE RURAL POOR AND RURAL COMMUNITIES BY IDENTIFYING THE ROLE THAT INFORMAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY PLAYS IN THE LIVELIHOODS, SOCIAL STRUCTURE, AND RESILIENCE OF RURAL PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES, PARTICULARLY IN TIMES OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STRESS. AN INTEGRATED, MIXED-METHODS (MM) RESEARCH APPROACH WILL BE USED TO ADDRESS THE STUDY'S RESEARCH OBJECTIVES. NATIONAL LEVEL ANALYSIS WILL BE BASED ON DATA FROM THE SURVEY OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMICS AND DECISION-MAKING (SHED) TO IDENTIFY SOCIAL GROUP MEMBERSHIP AND GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT OF INFORMAL WORKERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THESE DATA WILL ALSO HELP SET THE GROUNDWORK FOR PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION, WHICH WILL OCCUR IN THREE WAYS: A COMPARATIVE CASE-STUDY OF EIGHT COMMUNITIES, AN IN-DEPTH CASE-STUDY OF FOUR COMMUNITIES, AND A NATIONAL SURVEY OF INFORMAL WORKERS. THE CASE STUDIES WILL INCLUDE SURVEYS, INTERVIEWS, AND OBSERVATIONS, ENABLING A NUANCED UNDERSTANDING OF HOW INFORMAL WORK FUNCTIONS IN THERESILIENCE OF INFORMAL WORKERS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES, WHEREAS THE NATIONAL SURVEY OF INFORMAL WORKERS WILL GIVE US INSIGHTS INTO THE WAYS THAT INFORMAL WORK CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STRESS AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT. BECAUSE OF THE STRONG RELIANCE ON SOCIAL NETWORKS TO DO INFORMAL WORK, WE BELIEVE INFORMAL WORK PLAYS AN OFTEN-OVERLOOKED ROLE IN INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TO ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STRESS, ALTHOUGH THERE MAY BE DIFFERENCES IN HOW OR WHY THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF STRESS, SOCIAL GROUP MEMBERSHIP OF PARTICIPANTS, AND ACCESS TO NEW TECHNOLOGY. UTILIZING A MIXED-METHODS APPROACH, THIS RESEARCH WILL PRODUCE A UNIQUE AND NUANCED SET OF FINDINGS THAT MAY GUIDE POLICY DISCUSSION REGARDING THE LOCAL AND STATE RESPONSE TO INFORMAL WORK. THIS PROJECT IS ALIGNED WITH THE AFRI GOALS TO PROMOTE ECONOMICALLY AND SOCIALLY SUSTAINABLE, RESILIENT RURAL COMMUNITIES.