Formalization as confinement in colonial Hong Kong. (July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Smart, Alan; Smart, Josephine
• Is Part Of: International sociology. Volume 32:Number 4(2017:Jul.)
• Page Start: 437
• Page End: 453
• Publication Date: 2017-07
• Subjects: Confinement -- formalization -- informality -- squatters -- street vendors; Économie informelle -- Hong Kong -- occupation de l'espace public -- régularisation; Formalización -- Hong Kong -- informalidad -- ocupación del espacio público; Sociology -- Periodicals; Social history -- Periodicals; Social change -- Periodicals; Globalization -- Periodicals; 303.482
• DOI: 10.1177/0268580917701603
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0268-5809

Abstract

The nature of informal economies is structured by conflict between governmental strategies of confinement, to places, times and how things are done, and the transgression of these confines by informal actors in pursuit of survival or advantage. This article examines the influential development program of formalization in the context of these conflicts. Informality can be formalized in two ways, by eradication and by regularization. Building on their past ethnographic research on informality, the authors use released confidential Hong Kong colonial government documents to explore the informal discussions among policy makers about how to respond to informal practices, and how their understanding of street vendors influences their chose of confinement strategies. While insisting on eradication for squatters, various forms of regularization were attempted for street vendors.