On Legalized Management Of Urban Peddlers

With the development of urbanization, the influx of rural population growsrapidly.Due to the already serious situation of local unemployment,peddling has becomethe most preferred choice for many people to earn a livelihood for its easy access,low costand quick profitability.Meanwhile,however,the growing force of peddlers has caused aheavy burden of social problems which frequently culminate in violent clashes betweenpeddlers and inspectors,critically challenging the existing management system. Themanagement of peddlers has therefore been one of the key focuses in the area of urbanmanagement research.The thesis demonstrates that individual interests of the urbanpeddlers should be rebalanced with the public well-being through innovations ofmanagement systems.On the one hand,the urban peddlers exert a great impact on the allocation of urbanresources and supply of public goods.They cause tough problems to city life includingtraffic jams,untidiness,noises and disturbances to market order. On the other,it should beacknowledged that the urban peddlers meet the daily needs of urban residents in localcommunities that lacks in licensed facilities and provide opportunities of self-employment.The thesis makes a thorough analysis of the conflicting relationship between theurban peddlers and the management authority,and suggests that it is essentially a conflict between the right to living of urban peddlers and the demand for order in city life.It isfurther argued that the key to legalized management of urban peddlers lies in a balancebetween maintaining a healthy development environment of the city and ensuring a decentlivelihood for this disadvantaged group.The thesis makes a case study of Wuxi’s practicesin dealing with the problem of urban peddlers,analyzing the living status of the group,thebest practices and lessons learned in managing the group,the management mechanism ofthe municipal government and the legal system for the management.It is concluded thatthe management system be innovated,in which the peddlers’legal rights are ensuredthrough rule of law,the group’s grievances and opinions are dealt with bymulti-stakeholders including non-govermental organizations and professionalassociations,and finally,the market order is managed by standardized operationalprocedures.