As a journalist Robert Neuwirth decided to explore the "favelas" in countries like Brazil, Turkey, Kenya, India, Nigeria and China. The global statistics showed that 50 percent of the non-agriculture workers are working off the books, in the informal economy. His goal was to understand the informal sector by living close to them. Most of his work centers around issues of informal economic exclusion and the role of government on this. During his talk, the participants had the opportunity to ask questions regarding his knowledge of the informal sector. Some of the topics discussed were the characteristics of the informal sector and the impact that government actions have in this sector.