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Middle Eastern Women and the Invisible Economy

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This book presents a survey of a hot-topic in development studies- -the invisible economy and women. The editor points out in the introduction that the term "invisible economy" lacks a standard definition. In some contexts, it means unpaid agricultural labor on family farms. In others, it may mean food or textile products produced in the home and sold on the streets or in markets. In yet other contexts, the invisible economy is said to be made up of all small business with fewer than 10 workers. The editor does not adopt any one of these definitions as standard for this book; as a result, the 14 chapters that make up this book are quite varied in topic and scope. The writing of the chapters is likewise uneven. Each chapter is quite short (about 15 pages). Authors who focus their topics very narrowly present interesting and informative details- -about extremely narrow topics in one small part of one country. Authors who try to paint a broader picture usually don't have enough space within their 15 pages to say anything worthwhile. Nevertheless, as a taste of the issues included, this book is worthwhile.