Socio-Spatial Implications of Street Market Regulation Policy: The Case of Ferias Libres in Santiago de Chile

Unlike in most Latin American cities, street vendors organized in farmers’ markets popularly known as ferias libres in Santiago de Chile, gained legal recognition early in the twentieth century. Since then, comunas, or local municipalities, have provided vendors with individual licenses that stipulate the place and time of operations, and have defined a clear set of rules regarding customer service. However, this early legal recognition has not necessarily overcome the embedded conflict over the economic use of public space. As supermarkets become spatially positioned along the main streets within easy access of the city’s transportation system, feriantes, or licensed street vendors, are being relocated in less profitable areas. Moreover, coleros, or unlicensed vendors, are still flourishing despite efforts to restrict their numbers.informal sector, regulation, farmers’ markets, competition

El capital activo de los comerciantes ambulantes : un análisis cualitativo de sus redes sociales

El presente artículo es una reflexión a partir de los resultados de una investigación sobre redes sociales como soporte y posibilidad de desarrollo del comercio ambulatorio. En la actualidad, las concentraciones de vendedores ambulantes han cambiado de tamaño, ubicación y cobertura. Las grandes concentraciones de comercio informal que perduraron hasta mediados de los 90's en las zonas céntricas de Lima Metropolitana ya no son el signo principal de este fenómeno. Comúnmente conocidas como 'paraditas', las pequeñas concentraciones de vendedores en la vía pública, se ubican en los distritos periféricos de la ciudad y abastecen una demanda barrial. En este contexto, caracterizado por la pobreza, se analizan cualitativamente los vínculos que componen las diversas estrategias que dan sustento a esta actividad, en tres planos: el mercado, la cooperación y la negociación. La investigación encuentra en las paraditas comunidades relativamente cerradas organizadas en base a vínculos no adscritos de media o baja confianza (vecinos, compañeros de trabajo, amigos y socios de organización). No obstante, los vínculos adscritos (familia) caracterizados por la alta confianza, constituyen un potencial por los niveles de apoyo que canalizan en el manejo más cotidiano del negocio; aunque no logran desarrollarse lo suficiente para incorporarse en estrategias de crecimiento más amplias. En este marco, las redes sociales aparecen como un recurso individual y del colectivo, lo que constituye una suerte de capital social para la visualización de las oportunidades de crecimiento y formalización de esta actividad

Latinos and the Economic Downturn in Nebraska: Demographic and Socioeconomc Trends 2005-2013/2014

Researchers from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) have released a new report detailing the demographic and socioeconomic trends of Nebraska’s Latinos before, during and after the 2008 economic crisis. This publication highlights that although Nebraska fared relatively well during the economic crisis, Latinos, and particularly foreign-born Latinos, appeared to be more affected than others. While many social indicators, such as language proficiency, college enrollment and the like, have shown improvement over time, the socioeconomic status of Latinos overall continues to be vulnerable to economic downturns..

A Demographic Portrait of the Mexican-Origin Population in Nebraska

A study released from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Office of Latino and Latin American Studies (OLLAS) chronicles the current state of Mexican-origin residents of Nebraska, finding that while the numbers of immigrants moving into Nebraska has slowed in recent years, the population continues to grow and become more a part of the state’s demographic makeup. The study, which was also funded in part by the Sherwood Foundation, examined more than a century of census data from the United States, finding that the more than 140,000 Mexican-origin residents in Nebraska as of 2012 has rapidly increased since 1910 when there were less than 300 Mexicans living across the state

Latino Businesses in Nebraska: A Preliminary Look

A report released by the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) shows that while the number of Latino-owned businesses in Nebraska are growing, they are also the least likely to survive or expand. According to the report, which utilizes data from the public use microdata sample compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2007, while the 3,063 Latino-owned businesses make up just 1.9 percent of businesses in Nebraska, those same businesses have come to represent the largest share of minority-owned firms in the state at 53 percent, which is nearly double the number that existed a decade prior in 1997

The paradoxes of informalizing street trade in the Latin American city

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to challenge the default portrayal of street trade as an informal occupation and spatial practice, by examining comparatively the changes in the regulatory frameworks of two politically distinct city administrations in Latin America since the introduction of the informal economy debate. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws from a comparative case study design to synthesize evidence from historical administrative records, secondary research and materials from a two-year fieldwork carried out in Lima and Bogotá in 2008 and 2009. Findings – The author argues that the incorporation of the informal economy framework into local governments’ policymaking has reframed street trade as a subject of policy. Since the 1970s, the author traces a shift from worker-centered initiatives, through the deregulation of street trade, to entrepreneurial-centered approaches. Nowadays, both, Lima’s neoliberal governance focusing on “formalizing” and Bogotá’s socialist/progressive governance aiming at “upgrading” street trade respond more explicitly to distinct assessments about the informal economy – legalist and dualist, respectively. Yet, both cities converge in that the closer street trade is perceived as an informal occupation; the more likely policy initiatives decouple the right to work from the right to access public space, spurring more marginal forms of street vending. Originality/value – Even though the informal economy framework has helped to draw attention to important policy issues locally, nationally and internationally, this paper calls for a critical revision of such framing at the local level to allow for inclusive urban governance

QUICK FACTS about South Omaha

With 67,310 residents in 2012, South Omaha represents 9% of the Metropolitan Omaha-Council Bluffs’ population. This area of town is characterized by its young population. One third of its residents are 17 years or younger. The highest share of its population is composed by people in their twenties or early thirties

Latino Businesses in Nebraska: A Preliminary Look

Data for this report comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners Public Use Microdata Sample (SBO PUMS) as well as published tables based on the full survey. The most recent release of the Survey of Business Owners is based on data collected in 2007. The data only allows for an imperfect portrayal of the current conditions of Latino businesses in the state. However, the analyses of such data, as presented in this report, constitute an important baseline from which to continue to monitor the growth and conditions of these businesses. The next SBO-PUMS will be released in 2015

Hispanic Entrepreneurship in Nebraska: Trends and Economic Profile

The growth of the Hispanic population in Nebraska was accompanied by a significant increase in Hispanic entrepreneurship at the beginning of the 2000s. From 2002 to 2007, the 3,065 Hispanic-owned businesses constituted a small but dynamic and resilient segment of business growth in the state. Did participation in self-employment decrease for Hispanics after the economic crisis of 2008? What are the characteristics of Hispanic-owned businesses and Hispanics business-owners in Nebraska? Do some of these characteristics reveal social or economic barriers that could prevent these businesses from succeeding