Informal Markets and Trade in Central Asia and the Caucasus; Additional Module: The Immediate Consequences and Projected Long-Term Impact of the Corona Crisis on Informal Markets and Trade in Eurasia

The main project had studied informal markets and trade in Eurasia; using primarily field based methods, the focus was on shuttle and bazaar traders, who travel within Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as to and from China. It is intended to investigate China's increasing role in the region, and how the Covid-19 pandemic affects informal trading activities and the mobility of traders studied in the first phase. Moving forward, it will be studied how the pandemic impacts cooperation between Chinese and Eurasian business partners; how travel restrictions influence the flow of goods; the adaptive practices and strategies of traders; the use of digital channels for communication; and more broadly, change in the informal sector and grassroots globalization.