What’s in a Word? The Conceptual Politics of ‘Informal’ Street Trade in Dar es Salaam

Abstract

Focussing on policies towards urban street trade in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in this paper I illustrate how despite the widely acknowledged limits to its analytical usefulness, the contested and politically charged concept of the ‘informal economy’ continues to play a vital role in informing strategies of economic and social development on multiple levels of government. I argue that while the negative connotations of the concept continue to cast street trade as an aberration from the norm of formalised economic activity, its usage distracts from the causes and conditions of street trade and leads to a narrow focus on business formalisation, with disastrous consequences for traders and city authorities. I aim at making a conceptual and empirical contribution, structured in two parts: First, starting from Keith Hart’s reflections, I sketch out the discussions surrounding the concept of the informal economy and highlight its socially constructed and normative dimension. In the second part, I delineate the legal status of street trade in Tanzania. The conception of street trade as ‘informal’ is then traced from an international think tank to a national formalisation programme, further to urban planning and law enforcement policies, and finally contrasted with the views of traders.

Flags and Shields: Muslim Socialities and Informal Livelihoods in Dar es Salaam

“…By 2006, almost three in five households (57 percent) in Dar es Salaam were dependent on informal livelihood activities as a means of generating income (Babere 2013, 104). In the first decade of mageuzi , local authorities had been more accommodating toward informal economic activity, but from the early 2000s to the present day, traders operating in public spaces have faced increased pressure to be registered and licensed, and have been subject to routine crackdowns and evictions from prime locations (Brown & Lyons 2010, 41–2; Babere 2013; Bahendwa 2013, 155; Msoka & Ackson 2017; Steiler 2018; Malefakis 2019, 19–29). In addition to the largely ineffectual nature of regulatory interventions, the wider governance challenges surrounding the informal economy in Dar es Salaam are further complicated by low levels of participation in operators’ associations: the membership bodies of these organizations are poorly representative of the operators most exposed to difficult circumstances, and they have done little to resist the eviction of informal vendors from prime locations by city police (Brown & Lyons 2010, 34–35; Babere 2013, 273).…”

The Nature of Small Business Holders’ Vulnerability in Tanzania. A Case of Street Vendors in Dodoma City

“…Inaccessibility of licensing and permits among street vendors in Tanzania can result to making street vendors vulnerable as far as legalization of street vending is concerned (Horn, 2018;Steiler, 2018). In 2016 a decree was issued against the eviction of street vendors in urban settings, insisting urban authorities to allow vendors find different business sites in the urban open spaces.…”

“…businesses. Such a state lasted till 1980s (Lyon & Msoka, 2007;Steiler, 2018) and during that time vendors were illegal and regarded as loiterer. The government has made several initiatives to enhance the provision of licenses and permits to vendors.…”

Challenging the formality bias: The organization of informal work, working relations, and collective agency in Kenya and Tanzania

“…However, the lack of a recognized employment relationship means that attempts made by TUICO to represent micro-traders in their dealings with the municipality (e.g. in disputes over access to trading spaces) are referred to the civil courts and a complex array of local bylaws, not the labour court system, to which trade unions are normally referred (Steiler, 2018). Union efforts seem to focus on the legal right to operate, to have a decent work environment, and to have representation, mainly in dealings with the authorities.…”