Resilience in the informal economy amidst the COVID-19 crisis: the experience of street vendors in Dhaka, Bangladesh

This study examines the street vendors’ resilience in Dhaka during the COVID-19 pandemic. Globally, the informal economy comprises almost two-thirds of the labor force, and street vendors are among its most vibrant components. Despite their crucial role in the urban economy, street vendors often lack the protections and benefits available to the formal workforce, making them more vulnerable during crises like COVID-19. The research explores the challenges experienced by street vendors, their resilience strategies, and coping mechanisms during COVID-19 period. This study interviews 45 street vendors and five industry experts. This study uses a purposive sampling method to identify the appropriate respondents and a narrative analysis method to analyze the data. The analytical framework of this study identifies resilience as a combination of four attributes, i.e. prevent, protect, respond, and recover. Findings reveal that the COVID-19 pandemic amplifies their internal and external vulnerabilities, including financial and non-financial livelihood challenges. While they were partially resilient at the beginning, they experienced long-term vulnerability. This study recommends skills development training, systematic formalization, and simplified access to finance that can contribute to inclusive policy formation and enhance street vendors’ resilience amid uncertain socioeconomic crises like COVID-19 or natural disasters with similar consequences.