title: Assessing the role of informal sector in WEEE management systems: A System Dynamics approach.
abstract: Generally being ignored by academia and regulators, the informal sector plays important roles in Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) management systems, especially in developing countries. This study aims: (1) to capture and model the variety of informal operations in WEEE management systems, (2) to capture the dynamics existing within the informal sector, and (3) to assess the role of the informal sector as the key player in the WEEE management systems, influencing both its future operations and its counterpart, the formal sector. By using System Dynamics as the methodology and India as the reference system, this study is able to explain the reasons behind, on the one hand, the superiority of the informal sector in WEEE management systems and, on the other hand, the failure of the formal systems. Additionally, this study reveals the important role of the second-hand market as the determinant of the rise and fall of the informal sector in the future.
authors.affiliation: Chair of Business Administration and Operations Management, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Duisburg-Essen, Bismarckstr. 90, 47057 Duisburg, Germany. Electronic address: romadhani.ardi@stud.uni-due.de.
authors.forename: Romadhani
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ardi
authors.affiliation: Chair of Business Administration and Operations Management, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Duisburg-Essen, Bismarckstr. 90, 47057 Duisburg, Germany. Electronic address: rainer.leisten@uni-due.de.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Leisten
mesh_terms: D003906:Developing Countries; D055615:Electrical Equipment and Supplies; D059029:Electronic Waste; D005191:Family Characteristics; D007194:India; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D059027:Recycling; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000379:methods
keywords: Developing countries; Informal sector; Management systems; System dynamics; WEEE