Neoliberalism and Labor Displacement in Panama: Contested Public Space and the Disenfranchisement of Street Vendors

Neoliberal policies in Panama have led to the displacement of street vendors from their traditional selling points in downtown Panama City. This book explores the long-lasting saga and resistance actions of these informalized vendors, who are subjected to a double squeeze by reduced opportunities for stable formal sector employment and restricted access to commercially thriving areas. It also sheds light on the commoditization and contested nature of public space.

Format: Hardback
Length: 206 pages
Publication date: 15 February 2024
Publisher: Lexington Books

Neoliberalism and Labor Displacement in Panama: Contested Public Space and the Disenfranchisement of Street Vendors delves into the simultaneous rise of informal sector employment and the diminishing availability of space for individuals engaged in the Panamanian informal economy, particularly street vendors who represent the epitome of informality in countries of the Global South, such as Panama. Through the rich and diverse narratives collected through over twelve years of field research, this book paints a vivid portrait of the enduring struggles and resilient resistance actions of informalized vendors who have been displaced from their traditional selling points in the heart of Panama City. María Luisa Amado contends that neoliberal policies, encompassing privatization, labor deregulation, and market-driven urban renewal, impose a double burden on working-class Panamanians by limiting opportunities for secure formal sector employment and restricting access to commercially thriving yet increasingly gentrified areas of Panama City, historically utilized for street vending. Moreover, this book sheds valuable light on the commodification and contentious nature of public space, which is discursively shaped by diverse perspectives on its functions and who holds the rightful claim to it.

Neoliberalism and Labor Displacement in Panama: Contested Public Space and the Disenfranchisement of Street Vendors

examines the simultaneous increase of informal sector employment and decreasing access to space for people making a living in the Panamanian informal economy, particularly street vendors who illustrate the face of informality in countries of the Global South such as Panama.

Through the lived experiences and voices of street traders surveyed over twelve years of field research, this book portrays the long-lasting saga and resistance actions of informalized vendors dislocated from their traditional selling points in Panama Citys downtown.

María Luisa Amado argues that neoliberal policies, including privatization, labor deregulation, and market-led urban renewal, inflict a double squeeze on working-class Panamanians by reducing opportunities for stable formal sector employment and restricting access to commercially thriving but increasingly gentrified areas of Panama City, historically used for street vending.

This book also sheds light on the commoditization and contested nature of public space, discursively contended by competing views of its functions and who has the right to it.

Weight: 463g
Dimension: 237 x 159 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781666918946