Vegetable Street Vending in Dhaka, Bangladesh: Reflecting a Socioeconomic Perspective Toward the Informal Sector of African Entrepreneurship

Md. Reazul Haque () and Asif Rahman ()
Additional contact information
Md. Reazul Haque: University of Dhaka
Asif Rahman: University of Dhaka

Chapter Chapter 14 in Management and Resilience of African Organizations in Times of Crisis, 2024, pp 217-240 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Street vending is a widespread phenomenon in many developing countries including the African region, providing a source of livelihood for millions of people and a convenient and affordable service for consumers. However, street vendors often operate in precarious and hostile conditions, facing harassment from local authorities, eviction from public spaces, and marginalization from formal planning processes. This study aims to explore the problems and prospects of street vending in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, that shares a border similarity with its African counterparts, with a focus on the socioeconomic situation of vegetable vendors and their potential role in urban development. The study is based on primary data collected through semi-structured interviews with 42 vegetable vendors in several areas where street vending is prevalent, as well as secondary data from relevant literature and reports. The study reveals that street vending is not a hindrance to urban progress and sustainability but a vital component of an alternative street economy that contributes to reducing poverty, enhancing social inclusion, and diversifying urban culture. The study argues that instead of trying to eliminate street vendors, it is necessary to adopt a more inclusive and participatory approach that recognizes their rights and needs and integrates them into the existing regulatory framework. From the experience of Dhaka, the study also suggests some policy recommendations for improving the working conditions and livelihoods of vegetable vendors, as well as for enhancing their contribution to urban development that can also be reflected in the context of African countries.

Keywords: Informal sector; Street vendors; Income generation; Employment creation; Entrepreneurship; Capability approach (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:prbchp:978-3-031-56007-1_14

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783031560071

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-56007-1_14

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().