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The article discusses this hypothesis by examining the evolution of spatial politics on the streets of Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD) in the 2000s, focusing on a specific episode: the displacement of the street traders to an enclosed market located on the outskirts of the CBD. The first...
Abstract: Like many major cities in developing countries, Accra faces increasing congestion of vehicles, pedestrians and traders around its central business district. Repeated attempts to evict street traders have proven unsustainable. Using Accra as a case study, this paper investigates the...
Abstract: Contrary to expectations of modern democratic development, the establishment of liberal-democratic institutions in Ghana has not led to the demise of political clientelism. Instead, the underlying informal institutions of leadership—friendship, capitalist entrepreneurship, family, and...
Do people have a right to work on the street? If so, what are the constraints and conditions attached to this right? Historically, municipal authorities have tried several ways to regulate or even prohibit commerce on the streets, by implementing administrative regulation and criminal laws, but...
Normative approaches to urban governance and planning and idealised visions of city space too often result in relocation or forced eviction of street traders and other informal economy workers from public space as a policy of choice. Often a response to a short-term political imperative, clearances...
Four out of five urban workers in modern India are engaged in the informal economy, and half of these are self-employed. This article examines what legal reforms are needed for home-based producers, street vendors and waste pickers who together represent one-fifth of the urban workforce. The article...
In the midst of rapid urbanization, the question of whether and how to formalize the informal economy is a growing concern. According to Caroline Skinner , WIEGO's Programme Director on Urban Policies , the first step is to recognize the economic activities of informal workers and include them in...
Choma Choma Nalushaka made an arduous journey from war-torn Congo to South Africa—then waited years for his family to join him. He has established himself as a street barber in his new home in Durban, but the challenges of an informally-employed refugee are many.
This brief reviews cultural, economic, political and other broad social foundations of vending in Bangkok's public space. It also examines opportunities and challenges and what others can learn from the specific experiences of vending in Bangkok. 2017 Update to Policy Brief (Urban Policies) No. 16...
Videos / Slideshows / Audio
Millions of women work long hours, in dangerous conditions, for little pay. They are fighting for change, with the help of ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. Watch this video to learn how.
Workers Education/Organizing Materials
This manual helps street vendors learn more about the regulations that govern public space and how to defend the right to work in public space. It describes successful actions taken by street vendor organizations. And it offers information to help you organize and negotiate with local government.
WIEGO Working Papers
Mike Rogan reviews how informal workers are taxed, why there is growing interest in taxing them, and whether they should be included in the tax net.