Seeing and governing street hawkers like a fragmented metropolitan state

Abstract

This chapter examines the governance of street hawking, and demonstrates that the state is fragmented and power is disbursed among a range of officials and interest groups. This explains how it can simultaneously be the primary threat to street hawkers and a potential benefactor. I show that the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill represents a new way of “seeing” and acting upon hawkers, and could encourage hawkers to make lawful claims to urban space.