1 Ann Deslandes Informal street markets: A review of the literature September 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, and within my own archive of texts produced by non-government organisations that support and or advocate for street vendors. !ithin this I had an eye to some of the "atin American social science literature 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 street mar%ets& informal markets, informal urban markets, informal economies, street markets, street vendors, ille al vendin , street vendin . !hilst this review is clearly not exhaustive, some saturation was indicated by cross-referencing. I prioritised publications from the last '( years, and focussed on scholarship that critically addressed the possibilities of informal mar%ets for sustaining individuals and building resilient communities. Informal street markets and the informal economy )nder the influence of *arl #olanyi+s +great transformation+ paradigm, in economic discourse the street mar%et is often positioned as a throwbac% or referent to the mar%et +before it progressed+ to the abstraction of !all Street.' ,owever, informal urban street mar%ets remain persistent across the globe, with the scholarly literature canvassing research located in the more well-%nown cities with a large 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. The literature shows that street mar%ets are e;ually persistent as a site of conflict, as they are sub4ect to regulation, 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+s analysis of informal mar%ets in Africa -'<=>0, over the past decade the field has developed via contributions such as G?rxhani, -.((@0, 2ross A 3orales -.((=0, 2oo% -.((/0, !ilson -.('(0 and 9homil% -.('.0. !ithin this, neoliberalism and economic globalisation are important frames -Galemba .((/B ,a and Graaff forthcoming0. .('@ will see the development of two scholarly collections on informal street mar%ets& Seale and $vers -ed0, Informal urban street markets: International perspectives, an interdisciplinary collectionB and 3CrtenbCc% A 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 sustainable enterprises that are shaping the global economy in important ways -.(''0. 7euwirth shares a view with many activist groups -e.g. Dio de 1aneiro+s 2atalytic 2ommunities, !illiamson .('>0 that Es;uatter cities and self-built street mar%ets are a model for the future. And that s;uatters and street vendors 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 a regular column in the Atlantic - 7euwirth advocates informal mar%ets as the %ey to economic growth and urban sustainability for the globe going forward& Ebased on small sales and tiny
' The +abstraction+ here is noted in !ar% .(''.

2 Ann Deslandes Informal street markets: A review of the literature September 2013

increments of profit, ... it is how much of the world survives..E -'50B it is Ethe economy of aspiration, 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, writing that it, far from being a site of aspiration and independence, Ein fact means waged labour on crushingly oppressive terms. The supposedly self-employed include street vendors, who are Feasy preyG for the police, sex wor%ers haw%ed around by their pimps, home-based wor%ers or stallholders permanently in debt to suppliers and agents, and the li%e.... A Ffloating armyG of the 4obless fills the daily-wage mar%ets, which are in effect slave-auctions.E #rominent management studies professor 2olin !illiams similarly warns against Fromantic depictionsG of the informal economy -.((/0. Hor urban studies professor Ananya Doy, such representations should be rigorously criti;ued, particularly from the perspective of who is ma%ing the representations. In Doy+s view, Fthe political economy of urban informality is thus also the politics of representationB the poetics of representation is thus also the geopolitics of late capitalism.G -.((@&./<0. Identity, belonging and sociality The identity and social wor% of informal urban street mar%ets is explored in the literature through ethnographies of particular mar%ets and in empirical research on the relationship of employment, livelihood and entrepreneurship to identity and society. Sophie !atson, for example, shows how public mar%ets in the )* are advocated as spaces of sociality that challenge the stories of atomisation and individualisation felt to characterise contemporary consumer culture -.((<0. In a similar vein :avid 7eves and Andries du Toit demonstrate the sociality of informal mar%ets in Africa, which contradicts the story of widespread +social disembededness+ associated with #olanyi+s +great transformation+ -.('.0. 6ther scholars show how informal street mar%ets are reliant on trust between constituents -,yman .('>0, how they are informed by comparatively egalitarian households -$strada .('>0, how they might be means of social advancement for particular groups -Saitta .('(0, and how they are central to the ongoing production of the local economy -2oletto .('(0, society and culture -Iecchio .('.0. 3CrtenbCc% and 3ooshammer raise the ;uestion of sub4ect formation in informal street mar%ets, suggesting it is an open ;uestion for all participants due to the spatial indeterminacy of these sites and activities -.((/a0. At times, as Green and 7guyen explore, 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, and currency J from local to global sites. Hor 3CrtenbCc% and 3ooshammer, informal mar%ets in $urope appear as Fmicro-sites of paradoxical and indeterminate cultural productionG that are easily misunderstood if they are examined outside of an interdisciplinary networ% paradigm -.((/a0. 3CrtenbCc% and 3ooshammer explore the dynamics of informal mar%ets in 3oscow, Istanbul, and 9rc%o, finding them to be Femergent sites of transient and paradoxical spatial productionG 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 assemblagesG
. Identified by 7euwirth in a blogpost, .('>.

3 Ann Deslandes Informal street markets: A review of the literature September 2013

-.('.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 vendor associations have formed to advocate for street sellers, and this is often enacted in ways that are not recognisable 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 such as local governments, business councils and non-government organisations. In the Global South the informal economy is particularly associated with discourses of development, with underdevelopment -following the narrative of +great transformation+0 signified by the prevalence of informal mar%ets -Gauvain .((/, Thai and Tur%ina .('>0. 2oncern about wor%ers in the informal economy led to the International "abour 6rganisation creating a new +right to decent wor%+ in its assessments of global labour. $mpirical studies of the impact of regulation on incomes and ;uality of life is an inevitable part of this debate -e.g. :onovan .((/0, closely shadowed by the struggle to name 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%ets and +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 spacesG. 3ore broadly, the interest of commercial enterprises as well as state and local government in Finformal urbanismG in the Global 7orth is discussed by Ananya Doy -.(''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 public space, 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 are victims 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./<.
Shows how the global economic crisis meant slowed trade for informal street traders which has a disproportionate impact on women wor%ers.

/ Ann Deslandes Informal street markets: A review of the literature September 2013

2oletto, :iego. .('(. +Ambulantes and 2amelNs& The Street Iendors+ in 0he Informal &conom) and &mplo)ment in -ra1il: 2atin America, "oderni1ation, and Social #han es. #algrave 3acmillan.
Shows the role of street vendors in the ongoing production of informal economy in 9raKil.

OOOOOO .('>. "Meconomia informale come contro-movimentoP 2avoro, mercato e institu1ioni3 D. 9ordogna, D. #edersini and G. #rovasi. 3ilano, Hranco Angeli. 2oo%, :aniel Thomas. .((/. 2ived &4periences of 'ublic #onsumption: &ncounters with *alue in "arketplaces on 5ive #ontinents. #algrave 3acmillan. 2ross, 1ohn 2, and Alfonso 3orales. .((=. #ommerce in a +lobali1in (orld: Street Sales. "ondon& Doutledge. :e 9ruin, Anne, and Ann :upuis. .(((. LThe :ynamics of 7ew 8ealandMs "arget Street 3ar%et& The 6tara Hlea 3ar%etM. 0he 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 in communities caught by the domestic response to changes in the global economyG

:onovan, 3ichael G. .((/. LInformal 2ities and the 2ontestation of #ublic Space& The 2ase of 9ogotaMs Street Iendors, '<//--.((>M. ,rban Studies @Q -'0& .<JQ'.
$xplores implication of regulation via public space pro4ects -in 9ogota, directed by local government0, finding that Fformalised vendors experienced declining income levels, but improved wor%ing conditions.G

:ovey, *im. .('.. +Informal urbanism and complex adaptive assemblage+, International Development 'lannin 7eview >@-@0&>@<->5/. $strada, $mir. .('>. L2hanging ,ousehold :ynamics& 2hildrenMs American Generational Desources in Street Iending 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 neoliberal economic order+, Anthropology of !or% Deview RRIR -.0&'<-.Q. Gauvain, 3athilde. .((/. LInformal $conomy as a :evelopment StepP 9uilding a F2ommunal $conomy in IeneKuelaM, conference paper, International Sociological Association. G?rxhani, *larita. .((@. LThe Informal Sector in :eveloped and "ess :eveloped 2ountries& A "iterature SurveyM. 'ublic #hoice '.( ->-@0 -September '0& .5=J>((.
:emonstrates the breadth of motives and explanations for the informal sector.

8 Ann Deslandes Informal street markets: A review of the literature September 2013

Green, "elia, and Ian ,ong 7guyen. .('>. L2oo%ing from "ife& The Deal Decipe for Street Hood in ,a 7oiM. "9# 6ournal '5 ->0 -1une .>0. http& 4ournal.media culture.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. .((/. LIulnerability of )rban Informal Sector& Street Iendors in Sogya%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 in the $eoliberal #it). ,art, *eith. '<=>. LInformal Income 6pportunities and )rban $mployment in GhanaM. 0he 6ournal of "odern African Studies '' -('0& 5'J/<. ,ernTndeK, Helipe, #eter *ellett, and "ea *nudsen Allen. .('.. 7ethinkin the Informal #it): #ritical 'erspectives from 2atin America. 9erghahn 9oo%s. ,yman, 8ach. .('>. A :ay in the "ife& >-wheeled Iehicle-based Hruit Iendor. &thno raph) "atters3 http& ethnographymatters.net .('> (' >' a-day-in-the-life->-wheeled-vehicle-based-fruitvendor
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 the Informal $conomyM. International "abor 6rganisation. 1ensen, Dolf, and :onald 3. #eppard. .((=. LHood-buying ,abits in ,anoiM. S!6!,7$: 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 street vending which would have an impact on the livelihoods of many rural women living in poverty, shows how consumers are also driving the move to regulation. A rare demand-side study of informal street mar%ets.

"auermann, 1ohn. .('>. L#racticing Space& Iending #ractices and Street 3ar%ets in SanaMa SemenM. +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 Iendors and the Informal Sector in ,anoiM. 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.

: Ann Deslandes Informal street markets: A review of the literature September 2013

3c2all, 1ohn. .('.. LThe 2apital Gap& 7ollywood and the "imits of Informal TradeM, 6ournal of African #inemas @, -'0& <J.>.
7otes that 7ollywood, which incorporates distribution of films through informal street mar%ets, is limited by its incapacity to generate large amounts of capital.

3eneses-Deyes, Dodrigo. .('>. L6ut of #lace, Still in 3otion Shaping -Im03obility Through )rban DegulationM. Social . 2e al Studies .. ->0 -September '0& >>QJ>Q5. 3ilgram, 9lynne. .(''. LDeconfiguring Space, 3obiliKing "ivelihood. Street Iending, "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 of unioniKed labourB addresses public policy implications of regulation of public spaceB shows how street vending unsettles 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 0he !ther "arkets 7eader. Dotterdam, nai'( #ublishers. 7euwirth, Dobert. .((5. Shadow #ities: A -illion S=uatters, a $ew ,rban (orld. Doutledge. UUU. .(''. Stealth of $ations: 0he +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'@<.
)ses Fan interplay of agency, culture and contextG to demonstrate the sociality of informal mar%ets, which contradicts the story of widespread social atomisation.

#ena, Sergio. .(((. LDegulating Informal 3ar%ets& Informal 2ommerce in 3exico 2ityM. International 6ournal of Sociolo ) and Social 'olic) .( -< '(0 -6ctober '0& >=J5=. doi&'(. #ortes, Ale4andro, 3anuel 2astells, and "auren A. 9enton. '</<. 0he Informal &conom): Studies in Advanced and 2ess Developed #ountries. 1,) #ress.

@ Ann Deslandes Informal street markets: A review of the literature September 2013

#ortes, A, and ,aller, !. .((Q. LThe Informal $conomyM. In Aandbook of &conomic Sociolo ), edited by Smelser 7 and D$ Swedberg, .nd ed. 7ew Sor%& Dusssell Sage Houndation. 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 6ournal of ,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 light of 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 economy which includes street selling.

Saitta, #ietro, 1oanna Shapland, and Antoinette Ierhage. .('>. +ettin b) !r +ettin 7ichB: 0he 5ormal, Informal and #riminal &conom) in a +lobalised (orld. $leven International #ublishing.
Vuestions the boundary between formal, informal, and criminal.

Tem%in, 9en4amin, and 1orge IeiKaga. .('(. 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 differential when the historic development of each country -including the ways institutions have adminstered trade liberalisation0 is ta%en into account, and that higher globaliKation e;uals higher levels of informality in developing 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. Iecchio, G. -.('>0. +Tianguis shaping ciudad. Informal street vending as a decisive element for economy, society and culture in 3exico.+ 'lanum: 0he 6ournal of ,rbanism '-.50. !illiams, 2olin, and 1ohn Dound. .((/. LA 2ritical $valuation of Domantic :epictions of the Informal $conomyM. 7eview of Social &conom) 55 ->0 -September0& .<=J>.>. !illiamson, Theresa, L9raKil Is 3issing an 6pportunity to Invest in the Havelas - Doom for :ebateM. .('>. 0he $ew Cork 0imes. http& www.nytimes.com roomfordebate .('. (@ (. are-theolympics-more-trouble-than-theyre-worth braKil-is-missing-an-opportunity-to-invest-in-the-favelas. !alsh, 1ohn 2hristopher. .('(. LStreet Iendors and the :ynamics of the Informal $conomy&

D Ann Deslandes Informal street markets: A review of the literature September 2013

$vidence from Iung Tau, IietnamM. Asian Social Science 5 -''0 -6ctober '/0.
2onsiders street vendors in Iung 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 now organises their practices.

!atson, Sophie. .((<. LThe 3agic of the 3ar%etplace& Sociality in a 7eglected #ublic SpaceM. ,rban Studies @5 -/0 -1anuary =0& 'Q==J'Q<'.
#ublic mar%ets in the )* are advocated as spaces of sociality that challenge the stories of and individualisation felt to characterise contemporary consumer culture. atomisation

!ar%, 3c*enKie. .(''. +,ow to occupy an abstractionP+ http& www.versoboo%s.com blogs =./mc%enKie-war%-on-occupy-wall-street-how-to-occupy-an-abstraction !ilson, Tamar :iana. .('(. LAn Introduction To The Study 6f Informal $conomiesM. ,rban Anthropolo ), ><& @.
9road study of the informal economy, emphasising that it they is are not limited to the developing world.