Outside the Law: An Ethnographic Study of Street Vendors in Bogotá

Abstract: Millions of people worldwide work outside the law as street vendors in order to earn a living. However, they often work in fear of police evictions and confiscations  since  their  work  is  in  many  places  considered  illegal.  In  this  context, formalization (steps towards legalization) is often portrayed as a model for  empowerment  that  allows  poor  street   vendors  to  improve  their  well-being.  Formalization, as a model to manage street vending, is widely promoted by various  international  development  organizations.  While  important,  studies  of  formalization show that street vendors often resist state control, and the majority continues to work outside the law.

The  main  research  question  guiding  this  study  is:  how  does  formalization  of  street vendors in Bogotá enable and/or hinder their well-being? To examine this question,  this  study  uses  an  ethnographic  approach  and  the  concept  of  social  control  within  the  tradition  of  sociology  of  law.  The  data  for  this  study  was  collected through ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2012 and 2014 in the  city  of  Bogotá,  Colombia.  Three  groups  were  studied:  vendors  within  the  transitional  zones  (a  formalization  program),  two  rickshaw  driver  associations,  and itinerant ice cream vendors.

The  main  findings  illustrate  that  although  street  vendors  work  outside  the  law,  they do not operate in a state of chaos or anarchy. Quite the opposite, law and  other forms of social control are present in their work. These practices of control often  affect  their  well-being.  Despite  harsh  working  conditions,  well-being  according to them means more than economic survival, and often, street vendors strive to improve their lives and gain independence in their work.  Another   finding   is   that   formalization   is   often   directed   toward   the   more   established vendors and does not account for the fact that new individuals arrive on  the  streets  every  day  trying  to  make  a  living.  Often,  the  most  vulnerable  groups   (immigrants,   women,   the   newly   unemployed)   lack   the   time   and   knowledge  to  formalize  or  simply  are  not  targeted  in  formalization  programs. 

Without  a  deep  understanding  of  how  social  control  already  operates,  the  state runs  the  risk  of  developing  formalization  initiatives  that  undermine  the  well-being of the most vulnerable groups. Thus, this study of everyday forms of social control provides empirically based insights into the ways law influences the lives  of those working outside the law.