The Spatial and Temporal Distribution Characteristics and Governance Tension of Tricycle Passenger Transport in County Towns from the Perspective of Informal Economy—A Case Study of A Certain County in Guangdong Province
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Keywords
informal economy, tricycle passenger transport, spatial distribution, governance tensions, case interviews
Abstract
In the process of county-level urbanization, tricycle passenger transport, as a form of informal economy, effectively fills the spatial and temporal gaps in public transportation. This study selects a county in Guangdong Province as a case, and comprehensively uses spatial analysis and semi-structured interviews to examine the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics and governance contradictions of tricycle passenger transport. The results show that the industry presents a ‘high-density, small-scale’ ‘ring-locking’ spatial form, which is highly concentrated in the central area of the county in terms of spatial distribution. Although some practitioners hold business licenses and meet the legal requirements in form, they still encounter institutional exclusion and barriers to career advancement in actual operation, and are in the marginalized position of “legal but excluded.” This paper argues that the current ‘de-informalization’ strategy ignores the social security supplementary function undertaken by the industry. In the future, we should realize the transformation from “compulsory banning” to “orderly counseling,” recognize its existence value, implement a flexible management mechanism, and separate social security from formal employment system, so as to promote the inclusive transformation of governance model.
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