Informal urban street markets: A review of academic literature

8/13/2019 Informal urban street markets: A review of academic literature

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1 Ann Deslandes

Informal street markets: A review of the literatureSeptember 2013

Informal urban street markets: A review of the literature

This review draws on searches within databases of peer-reviewed literature in social sciences,humanities, and economics. I also made searches in Google, Google Scholar and Academia.edu, andwithin my own archive of texts produced by non-government organisations that support and oradvocate for street vendors. !ithin this I had an eye to some of the "atin American social scienceliterature in Spanish and #ortuguese, and $uropean literature published in Italian.

The following search terms were used to yield a review of literature on informal urban streetmar%ets&informal markets, informal urban markets, informal economies, street markets, streetvendors, ille al vendin , street vendin . !hilst this review is clearly not exhaustive, somesaturation was indicated by cross-referencing. I prioritised publications from the last '( years, andfocussed on scholarship that critically addressed the possibilities of informal mar%ets for sustainingindividuals and building resilient communities.

Informal street markets and the informal economy

)nder the influence of *arl #olanyi+s +great transformation+ paradigm, in economic discourse thestreet mar%et is often positioned as a throwbac% or referent to the mar%et +before it progressed+ to theabstraction of !all Street. ' owever, informal urban street mar%ets remain persistent across theglobe, with the scholarly literature canvassing research located in the more well-%nown cities with alarge informal sector, e.g. anoi "incoln ((/0, 1ohannesburg 2ohen ('(0, and 3umbai An4aria

((50, to less stereotypical places such as 6taro, 7ew 8ealand de 9ruin and :upuis (((0. Theliterature shows that street mar%ets are e;ually persistent as a site of conflict, as they are sub4ect toregulation, illegality, cleanups, and general ris%. Available scholarship includes ethnographies of

particular sites, advocacy for particular policy approaches, sociological and economic evaluations.!ithin this, the debates ra n0ge around the unstable binaries of regulation illegality,empowering exploitative, criminal social. !hilst %ey definitional wor% was underta%en in art+sanalysis of informal mar%ets in Africa '0, over the past decade the field has developed viacontributions such as G?rxhani, ((@0, 2ross 3orales ((=0, 2oo% ((/0, !ilson ('(0 and9homil% (' 0. !ithin this, neoliberalism and economic globalisation are important framesGalemba ((/B a and Graaff forthcoming0. ('@ will see the development of two scholarlycollections on informal street mar%ets& Seale and $vers ed0, Informal urban street markets:

International perspectives , an interdisciplinary collectionB and 3CrtenbCc% 3ooshammer+s !ther "arkets reader, with essays drawn largely from visual art, design and architecture.

Depictions of the informal economy

Informal street mar%ets have been popularised by Dobert 7euwirth as creative and sustainableenterprises that are shaping the global economy in important ways (''0. 7euwirth shares a viewwith many activist groups e.g. Dio de 1aneiro+s 2atalytic 2ommunities, !illiamson ('>0 thatEs;uatter cities and self-built street mar%ets are a model for the future. And that s;uatters and streetvendors create spontaneous mutual institutions that help govern their communities.E Through his

boo%s Shadow #ities and Stealth of $ations % plus media including T$: tal%s, three blogs, and aregular column in the Atlantic - 7euwirth advocates informal mar%ets as the %ey to economicgrowth and urban sustainability for the globe going forward& Ebased on small sales and tiny

' The +abstraction+ here is noted in !ar% (''.


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increments of profit, ... it is how much of the world survives..E '50B it is Ethe economy ofaspiration, where the 4obs areE '/0.

A counterpoint to 7euwirth is 1an 9reman+s study of the informal economy in India ('>0. 9reman argues strongly against the idea of the informal economy advanced by 7euwirth, writingthat it, far from being a site of aspiration and independence, Ein fact means waged labour oncrushingly oppressive terms. The supposedly self-employed include street vendors, who are Feasy

prey for the police, sex wor%ers haw%ed around by their pimps, home-based wor%ers orstallholders permanently in debt to suppliers and agents, and the li%e.... A Ffloating army of the

4obless fills the daily-wage mar%ets, which are in effect slave-auctions.E #rominent managementstudies professor 2olin !illiams similarly warns against Fromantic depictions of the informaleconomy ((/0. Hor urban studies professor Ananya Doy, such representations should berigorously criti;ued, particularly from the perspective of who is ma%ing the representations. InDoy+s view, Fthe political economy of urban informality is thus also the politics of representationBthe poetics of representation is thus also the geopolitics of late capitalism. ((@& /0, how they are informed by comparatively egalitarianhouseholds $strada ('>0, how they might be means of social advancement for particular groupsSaitta ('(0, and how they are central to the ongoing production of the local economy 2oletto('(0, society and culture ecchio (' 0. 3CrtenbCc% and 3ooshammer raise the ;uestion ofsub4ect formation in informal street mar%ets, suggesting it is an open ;uestion for all participantsdue to the spatial indeterminacy of these sites and activities ((/a0. At times, as Green and 7guyenexplore, the representation of street mar%ets in overseas media falls short of their contradictory and

complex reality ('>0.

Networks, assemblages, spatiality and territory

As constitutively +unregulated+ entities street mar%ets are associated with particular spatial practices"auermann ('>0, and they invo%e distinctive arrangements of goods, services, people, andcurrency J from local to global sites. Hor 3CrtenbCc% and 3ooshammer, informal mar%ets in$urope appear as Fmicro-sites of paradoxical and indeterminate cultural production that are easilymisunderstood if they are examined outside of an interdisciplinary networ% paradigm ((/a0.3CrtenbCc% and 3ooshammer explore the dynamics of informal mar%ets in 3oscow, Istanbul, and9rc%o, finding them to be Femergent sites of transient and paradoxical spatial production that

cannot be easily captured by planning, architecture, social or economic theory ((/b0. :ovey,similarly, remar%s upon the +becomings+ of urban informality as Fcomplex adaptive assemblages

Identified by 7euwirth in a blogpost, ('>.


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(' 0. The +inbetween-ness+ of the informal economy in general lends itself to a counter-hegemonic politics for some scholars 2oletto ('>0B indeed, there are many instances where vendorassociations have formed to advocate for street sellers, and this is often enacted in ways that are notrecognisable to traditional labour union politics 3ilgram (''0.

Service, government and policy

In;uiry into and regulation of informal street mar%ets is an increasing concern of policy bodies suchas local governments, business councils and non-government organisations. In the Global South theinformal economy is particularly associated with discourses of development, withunderdevelopment following the narrative of +great transformation+0 signified by the prevalence ofinformal mar%ets Gauvain ((/, Thai and Tur%ina ('>0. 2oncern about wor%ers in the informaleconomy led to the International "abour 6rganisation creating a new +right to decent wor%+ in itsassessments of global labour. $mpirical studies of the impact of regulation on incomes and ;ualityof life is an inevitable part of this debate e.g. :onovan ((/0, closely shadowed by the struggle toname the place of informal street mar%ets in local and global economies Dogerson ((=0.Throughout the literature, issues of the informal mar%et are identified for policy response,

particularly in view of street vendors+ economic vulnerability Gunadi ((/, de 9ruin and :upuis(((00. There are also critical accounts of policy and programming around informal street mar%etsand +the informal city+ ernandeK et al (' 0, studies of demand for informal mar%et goods e.g.1ensen and #eppard ((=0 and economic sociologies of the informal sector !alsh ('(0.3enenses-Deyes ('>0, among others, traces the movements of street vendors within and beyond

Fstate delimitation of specific spaces . 3ore broadly, the interest of commercial enterprises as wellas state and local government in Finformal urbanism in the Global 7orth is discussed by AnanyaDoy (''0.

Reference list annotated!

An4aria, 1onathon Shapiro. ((5. +Street aw%ers and #ublic Space in 3umbai+, &conomic and 'olitical (eekl) , ' @'0& '@(- '@5.

9howmi%, Sharit. (' . Street *endors and the +lobal rban &conom) . 2D2 #ress.

9road discussion of street vendors+ living and wor%ing conditions, the legal guidelines around control of publicspace, the rights of the wor%ing poor, regulation performed by civic authorities.

9reman, 1an. ('>. At (ork in the Informal &conom) of India: a 'erspective from the -ottom p .

Deporting on fieldwor% in Gu4arat over forty years, 9reman argues that wor%ers in the informal sector arevictims of the shift from agricultural to urban production.

2ohen, 1ennifer. ('(. L ow the Global $conomic 2risis Deaches 3arginalised !or%ers&The 2ase of Street Traders in 1ohannesburg, South AfricaM. +ender . Development '/ 0&==J /


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2oletto, :iego. ('(. +Ambulantes and 2amelNs& The Street endors+ in he Informal &conom)and &mplo)ment in -ra il: atin America, "oderni ation, and Social #han es . #algrave3acmillan.

Shows the role of street vendors in the ongoing production of informal economy in 9raKil.

OOOOOO ('>. "Meconomia informale come contro-movimentoP avoro, mercato e institu ioni D.9ordogna, D. #edersini and G. #rovasi. 3ilano, Hranco Angeli.

2oo%, :aniel Thomas. ((/. ived &4periences of 'ublic #onsumption: &ncounters with*alue in "arketplaces on 5ive #ontinents . #algrave 3acmillan.

2ross, 1ohn 2, and Alfonso 3orales. ((=. #ommerce in a +lobali in (orld: Street Sales . "ondon& Doutledge.

:e 9ruin, Anne, and Ann :upuis. (((. LThe :ynamics of 7ew 8ealandMs "arget Street3ar%et& The 6tara Hlea 3ar%etM. he International 6ournal of Sociolo ) and Social 'olic)( '- 0& Q J=>.

Shows how Fless formaliKed economic activity operates as part of the coping strategies of people incommunities caught by the domestic response to changes in the global economy

:onovan, 3ichael G. ((/. LInformal 2ities and the 2ontestation of #ublic Space& The2ase of 9ogotaMs Street endors, 'M. rban Studies @Q '0& . L2hanging ousehold :ynamics& 2hildrenMs American GenerationalDesources in Street ending 3ar%etsM. #hildhood ( '0& Q'J5Q.

3igrant households that rely on street vending are demonstrated to share power in important ways, largely because the s%ills particularly in spea%ing $nglish on the street0 that children have are re;uired to %eep the business going.

Galemba, Debecca. ((/. +Informal and illicit entrepreneurs& Highting for a place in the neoliberaleconomic order+, Anthropology of !or% Deview RRIR 0&'-@0 September '0& 5=J>((.

:emonstrates the breadth of motives and explanations for the informal sector.


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Green, "elia, and an ong 7guyen. ('>. L2oo%ing from "ife& The Deal Decipe for StreetHood in a 7oiM. "9# 6ournal '5 >0 1une >0. http& 4ournal.mediaculture.org.au index.php mc4ournal article view 5Q

$xamines the gap between representation, in $nglish-language coo%ery boo%s, of street food prepared and sold by intinerant vendorsB and the vendors+ perspectives gleaned through empirical research.

Gunadi, 9rata Aloysius. ((/. L ulnerability of )rban Informal Sector& Street endors inogya%arta, IndonesiaM. 3unich #ersonal De#$c Archive.

Assesses the vulnerability of street vendors and shows its variability.

a, 7oa, and *ristina Graaff. ('> forthcoming0 +lobal 'erspectives on rban Street *endin inthe $eoliberal #it) .

art, *eith. '. LInformal Income 6pportunities and )rban $mployment in GhanaM. he 6ournal of "odern African Studies '' ('0& 5'J/-wheeled ehicle-based Hruit endor. &thno raph) "atters http& ethnographymatters.net ('> (' >' a-day-in-the-life->-wheeled-vehicle-based-fruit-

vendor

In-depth enhnographic account of street-based via three-wheeled vehicle0 fruit vending in 2hong;ing, 2hina.

International "abour 2onference, International "abour 6ffice. (( . L:ecent !or% and theInformal $conomyM. International "abor 6rganisation.

1ensen, Dolf, and :onald 3. #eppard. ((=. LHood-buying abits in anoiM. S!6! 7$: 6ournal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia 0& >(J Q@.

$xamines consumer food buying habits and preferences in light of threats by the government to regulate streetvending which would have an impact on the livelihoods of many rural women living in poverty, shows howconsumers are also driving the move to regulation. A rare demand-side study of informal street mar%ets.

"auermann, 1ohn. ('>. L#racticing Space& ending #ractices and Street 3ar%ets inSanaMa emenM. +eoforum @= 1une0& 5QJ= .

Shows how vendors use the spatial features of street mar%ets to reproduce informal industry institutions.

"incoln, 3artha. ((/. LDeport from the Hield& Street endors and the Informal Sector inanoiM. Dialectical Anthropolo ) > >0& 5'J 5Q.

$xamination of the informal sector in light of anoi government+s partial ban on street vending. Hor the main part vendors have not honoured the ban, and conflict with the authorities is expected.
http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/65http://ethnographymatters.net/2013/01/31/a-day-in-the-life-3-wheeled-vehicle-based-fruit-vendor/http://ethnographymatters.net/2013/01/31/a-day-in-the-life-3-wheeled-vehicle-based-fruit-vendor/http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/65http://ethnographymatters.net/2013/01/31/a-day-in-the-life-3-wheeled-vehicle-based-fruit-vendor/http://ethnographymatters.net/2013/01/31/a-day-in-the-life-3-wheeled-vehicle-based-fruit-vendor/


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3c2all, 1ohn. (' . LThe 2apital Gap& 7ollywood and the "imits of Informal TradeM, 6ournal of African #inemas @, '0& .

7otes that 7ollywood, which incorporates distribution of films through informal street mar%ets, is limited byits incapacity to generate large amounts of capital.

3eneses-Deyes, Dodrigo. ('>. L6ut of #lace, Still in 3otion Shaping Im03obilityThrough )rban DegulationM. Social . e al Studies >0 September '0& >>QJ>Q5.

3ilgram, 9lynne. (''. LDeconfiguring Space, 3obiliKing "ivelihood. Street ending,"egality, and !or% in the #hilippinesM. 6ournal of Developin Societies ;$etherlands< = >@0& 5'J .

:emonstrates activism of women vendors in a newly liberaliKed economy, different to earlier forms ofunioniKed labourB addresses public policy implications of regulation of public spaceB shows how street vendingunsettles categories of formal informal, public commercial, legal illegal.

3CrtenbCc%, #eter, and elge 3ooshammer. ((=. LTrading IndeterminacyJinformal 3ar%ets in$uropeM. 5ield 6 ' '0& =>J/=.

UUU. ((/a. LSpaces of $ncounter& Informal 3ar%ets in $uropeM. Ar=: Architectural 7esearch>uarterl) ' >-@0& >@=J>Q=.

UUU. ((/b. $etworked #ultures ? D*D: 'arallel Architectures and the 'olitics !f Space . 7Ai)itgevers #ublishers Stichting.

UUU ('@ forthcoming0 Informal "arket (orlds . Dotterdam, nai'( #ublishers.

UUU ('@ forthcoming0 he !ther "arkets 7eader . Dotterdam, nai'( #ublishers.

7euwirth, Dobert. ((5. Shadow #ities: A -illion S=uatters, a $ew rban (orld . Doutledge.

UUU. (''. Stealth of $ations: he +lobal 7ise of the Informal &conom) . Dandom ouse ""2.

UUU. ('>.LStealth of 7ations& a Tough Ta%e on System :M. Stealth of $ations .http& stealthofnations.blogspot.com.au ('> (5 a-tough-ta%e-on-system-d.html.

7eves, :avid, and Andries du Toit. (' . L3oney and sociality in Africa+s informal economyM. Africa / Special Issue ('0& '>'J'@


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#ortes, A, and aller, !. ((Q. LThe Informal $conomyM. In andbook of &conomicSociolo ) , edited by Smelser 7 and D$ Swedberg, nd ed. 7ew or%& Dusssell SageHoundation.

Dogerson, 2 3. ((=0. +Second economyM versus informal economy& A South African affair+.$ditorial. +eoforum >/& '(Q>-'(Q=.

Doy, Ananya. (''. LSlumdog 2ities& Dethin%ing Subaltern )rbanismM. International 6ournalof rban and 7e ional 7esearch >Q 0& >J >/.

2riti;ue of the valorisation of urban informality in the Global 7orth including national elites in India0 in lightof the impoverishment and criminalisation of urban informality in the Global South.

Saitta, #ietro. ('(. LImmigrant Doma in Sicily& The Dole of the Informal $conomy in#roducing Social AdvancementM. 7omani Studies ( '0 :ecember '0& '=J@Q.

Hinds that Doma in Sicily have a means, if paradoxical, of social advancement through the informal economywhich includes street selling.

Saitta, #ietro, 1oanna Shapland, and Antoinette erhage. ('>. +ettin b) !r +ettin 7ichB: he 5ormal, Informal and #riminal &conom) in a +lobalised (orld . $levenInternational #ublishing.

Vuestions the boundary between formal, informal, and criminal.

Tem%in, 9en4amin, and 1orge eiKaga. ('(. LThe Impact of $conomic GlobaliKation on"abor InformalityM. $ew +lobal Studies @ '0.

Hinds that a greater level of globaliKation reduces the level of informality overallB the impact is differentialwhen the historic development of each country including the ways institutions have adminstered tradeliberalisation0 is ta%en into account, and that higher globaliKation e;uals higher levels of informality indeveloping countries and lower levels in developed countries.

Thai, 3ai Thi Thanh, and $%aterina Tur%ina. ('>. &ntrepreneurship in the Informal &conom): "odels, Approaches and 'rospects for &conomic Development . Doutledge.

ecchio, G. ('>0. +Tianguis shaping ciudad. Informal street vending as a decisive element for economy, society and culture in 3exico.+ 'lanum: he 6ournal of rbanism ' 50.

!illiams, 2olin, and 1ohn Dound. ((/. LA 2ritical $valuation of Domantic :epictions of theInformal $conomyM. 7eview of Social &conom) 55 >0 September0& >.

!illiamson, Theresa, L9raKil Is 3issing an 6pportunity to Invest in the Havelas - Doom for:ebateM. ('>. he $ew Cork imes . http& www.nytimes.com roomfordebate (' (@ ( are-the-

olympics-more-trouble-than-theyre-worth braKil-is-missing-an-opportunity-to-invest-in-the-favelas .

!alsh, 1ohn 2hristopher. ('(. LStreet endors and the :ynamics of the Informal $conomy&
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/04/02/are-the-olympics-more-trouble-than-theyre-worth/brazil-is-missing-an-opportunity-to-invest-in-the-favelashttp://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/04/02/are-the-olympics-more-trouble-than-theyre-worth/brazil-is-missing-an-opportunity-to-invest-in-the-favelashttp://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/04/02/are-the-olympics-more-trouble-than-theyre-worth/brazil-is-missing-an-opportunity-to-invest-in-the-favelashttp://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/04/02/are-the-olympics-more-trouble-than-theyre-worth/brazil-is-missing-an-opportunity-to-invest-in-the-favelashttp://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/04/02/are-the-olympics-more-trouble-than-theyre-worth/brazil-is-missing-an-opportunity-to-invest-in-the-favelas


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Ann Deslandes Informal street markets: A review of the literature

September 2013

$vidence from ung Tau, ietnamM. Asian Social Science 5 ''0 6ctober '/0.

2onsiders street vendors in ung Tau in the frame of the optimist pessimist analysis of the informal economy,finds that vendors are unable to ta%e advantage of the economic benefits of the globalisation that noworganises their practices.

!atson, Sophie. ((

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Informal urban street markets: A review of academic literature