Space entrepreneurship at the BOP

Aurélie Toivonen and Ignasi Martí-Lanuza

Chapter 7 in Handbook of Research on Base of the Pyramid Entrepreneurship, 2026, pp 107-135 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter examines the formalization of street vending in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and the resistance of vendors against the destruction of street marketplaces. It aims to develop a theoretical account of the transformative power of space appropriation as actors negotiate access to street resources and (re)produce urban space according to their values. Findings reveal the role of space in informalizing and formalizing practices. Informal tactics, including using specific street corners, objects and bodily presence, enable vendors to create marketplaces. Conversely, formal tactics, such as using physical boundaries and modern stalls, allow the municipality to reclaim street control. The ongoing dialectical contest between these tactics underscores the complexity of space appropriation, producing a grey zone where informality persists.

Keywords: BOP Entrepreneurship; Space Entrepreneurship; Space Appropriation; Formality; Informality; Street Vending (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781802202137
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