Identifying Inequalities in Acknowledging the Economic Behaviour and Spatial Requirements of Street Vendors: A Case Study of Bhopal, India
摘要
The informal sector has been at the forefront of socioeconomic research for a substantial amount of time; however, policy interventions have not focused much on economically acknowledged behavioural dynamics. As street vending constitutes a major part of this economy, a data-driven focus on the evaluation of their survival planning, resource assimilation, profit-making strategies, and needful investments provides an apparent opportunity for the study of these micro-managerial practices. However, the research done in this arena is meagre. The policy for street vendors in India addresses the regulation of street vendors in public areas and the protection of their rights. However, it does not acknowledge the spatial needs of the adopted economic practices and behaviour of the vendors. Through a mix of qualitative and quantitative outlooks towards this problem, this article attempts to investigate various economic behaviours adopted by the street vendors by critically analysing three case studies of Bhopal, India, on different attributes of profit generation, their selected products for sale, preferred locations, space requirements, movement and mobility. To accommodate them in economic evaluation and urban space allocation through policy recommendations, this chapter opens a new frontier of informal microeconomics research having real implications on urban policy, societal systems and equity.