The intersection of commodification, migration and informality

Migrants without many commodity resources may be victims of a commodified society, because commodified societies tend to equate value with commodity resources. Many migrants, however, are not looking to bolster their status in society; they simply want to make enough money to survive (Castañeda 2013). However, ironically, they must work within the system of commodification to do so, as is evidenced in the high level of entrepreneurship among such migrants. Additionally, the host government often makes doing business inaccessible due to costs and the complexity of the procedures involved in starting a business. This means that many migrants have no practical option for survival other than to operate under a system of informality.