Disconnections between the right to the city and right to work. The consequences of formalizing street trade in Lima-Perú 2004-2015

• In Event: Informality and Markets

Abstract

With the number of evictions rising in the mid of 2000s, formalizing street trade has not only a quick way for district majors to earn the sympathy of their constituents in Lima but also a critical policy hosted in local economic development offices. Eager public officials set strict deadlines for street markets eviction and regularly monitor collective savings from street vendor associations. The goal is that street vendors will save enough to collectively get a bank loan that will enable them to buy land and build a roofed market. Formalization has equated to true entrepreneurship and to the promise of obtaining higher rewards from this transition.
By using microdata from the Peruvian Household Survey (ENAHO, in Spanish acronyms), I compare whether or not the desired status of market traders have delivered what promised. I conclude by questioning the ideology behind formalization policies and suggest that the idea of sustainable livelihoods should become central to democratize the right to the city in Lima, That way, the defense of public space from the lived-experiences of the urban poor could become an element for more inclusive policymaking.

Author

• Lissette Aliaga Linares, University of Nebraska at Omaha