Although there are many studies on informal workers juggling multiple jobs, how workers differentiate their jobs economically and morally is less examined. Based on 18 months of fieldwork among urban middle-class entrepreneurs in Brazzaville, this article argues that entrepreneurs in the informal economy work on multiple projects that complement each other in terms of economic gains and moralities, a pattern I call “patch-work.” Some projects are pitched in entrepreneurial competitions to gain funds, awards, and training and traveling opportunities. Others can generate more stable cash flows to support other projects. Yet others are not for profit but rather to expand one's social network. Despite being unable to generate income quickly, projects deemed entrepreneurial are kept for years, as they have high moral value. Thus, rather than simply maximizing profits, an entrepreneur in the informal economy “patch-works” to pursue economic, social, and moral goals at the same time. Moreover, the moral values are highly diverse and debated among the entrepreneurs, showing that they cannot be reduced to a single logic. Patch-working shows that, rather than passively coping with precarity or following neoliberalism, some working in the informal economy actively construct their working patterns to meet their multifaceted pursuits.

中文翻译：

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拼凑：非正规企业家在刚果-布拉柴维尔的多个项目的经济和道德互补性

尽管有许多关于兼顾多项工作的非正规工人的研究，但很少有人研究工人如何在经济和道德上区分他们的工作。基于对布拉柴维尔城市中产阶级企业家 18 个月的实地调查，本文认为，非正规经济中的企业家从事多个项目，这些项目在经济收益和道德方面相互补充，我称之为“拼凑工作”模式。一些项目通过创业竞赛获得资金、奖励、培训和旅行机会。其他人可以产生更稳定的现金流来支持其他项目。还有一些不是为了盈利，而是为了扩大一个人的社交网络。尽管无法快速产生收入，但被认为具有创业精神的项目会保留多年，因为它们具有很高的道德价值。因此，非正规经济中的企业家不是简单地最大化利润，而是“拼凑”以同时追求经济、社会和道德目标。此外，道德价值观在企业家中是高度多样化和争论不休的，这表明它们不能被简化为单一的逻辑。补丁工作表明，一些在非正规经济中工作的人不是被动地应对不稳定或追随新自由主义，而是积极构建他们的工作模式以满足他们的多方面追求。