Public Policy and its Impact: Analyzing Dhaka City's Vendor Problem

This report analyzes the complex issue of street vendors in Dhaka city, Bangladesh, focusing on their impact and the challenges they pose to public policy and urban planning. The report identifies the core problem: the environmental impact caused by vendors, particularly the accumulation of waste, and the congestion they create on footpaths. It explores the underlying causes, including the lack of formal employment opportunities and the influx of migrants. The report then examines the consequences, both short-term (pedestrian obstruction) and long-term (environmental pollution). The report proposes public management as the primary policy goal, evaluating the criteria for success, and considering policy alternatives, such as vendor eviction and encouraging vendor responsibility. The report concludes by recommending further research to develop comprehensive and effective solutions to address the multifaceted challenges of street vending in Dhaka city.

Running head: PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT 1
PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT 7
Running head: PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT 1
Public Policy and its Impact
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Public Policy and its Impact
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This is mainly to analyze the vending problem within Dhaka city, basically as it is
environmentally oriented and to know some of the possible causes and consequences. Also, an
important aspect is the provision of possible solutions to the problem through further research.

PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT 2
Problem Identification
The main problem within Dhaka city is the one brought about by vendors as they bring
about garbage on the streets. It is an excellent problem as we clearly understand that much of the
waste materials after making sales get thrown off on the footpaths when consumers on the streets
purchase items from the same vendors (Bardach, 2015). Papers from the foodstuffs get rid of,
thus making the roads and trails look messy. The crowding of the footpath also a significant
problem since such vendors sell products on the same street resulting in congestion during the
process of shopping.
It is a problem and an issue of concern because the planning of the city street had no
specific provision for the same vendors. The vendors hence believed to be possessed illegally
within the footpath and the sidewalks (Bryman, 2012). It, therefore, gets to be a problem majorly
because it results in an urbanscape that looks quite unpleasant and thus gets to obstruct and
hinderance to many of the pedestrians.
Several reasons resulted in the development of the same problem within Dhaka city. Most
of the dwellers living in the town get considered poor people. With that being the case, we
realize that they have less or little skills that can get described as formal that can provide them
with the opportunity to work in the legal sector. They will henceforth opt to do a particular kind
of job that provides them with a little money to raise some income. If that's the case, most of
them prefer doing vending within the urban environment. It is also clear that most of them
migrated from the rural areas moving to the civic center in the search for job opportunities. They
will prefer to do vending within the streets since the activity is informal and requires fewer skills.
Most of the individuals within the urban also need income to obtain clothes, food, and shelter.
They will, therefore, be so dependent on that particular job to provide for their families. It thus

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became a problem due to its necessity within the city (Haque, 2010). Its seen as a job, especially
to many of the dwellers found living within the urban area. Most of the people have no other way
of finding a job opportunity apart from doing vending. It is even hard for local authorities since
these people depend much on the same to earn a living. It also becomes a problem when most of
the dwellers also depend on the same as shops. Both the low and middle groups of people rely on
the business for their day to day welfare (Bryman, 2012). They can afford to go shopping from
other shopping centers considered to be luxurious. With that as the case, it also gets to be a
problem at hand, forcing people to depend significantly on the vending type of business for the
more significant parts of their livelihood.
There is, however, another short term as well as long term consequences as a result of the
vending business within Dhaka city. Some of the values that are short term are that there will
case of pedestrian obstruction. That is so mainly due to problem of congestion which can happen
in footpath and streets (Bardach, 2015). The long-term consequences are that there will be a
problem of environmental pollution. That is through waste materials like plastics and papers that
get thrown off the footpath after sales to a customer.
Policy Goal and Evaluation Criteria
Public management is the preferred goal for the policy that will work towards solving the
problem at hand. It includes facilitating the various changes to the public sector as well as the
structure of the given organization to enable them to be in a better position to run. The conditions
of the different individuals, as well as that of the environment, can easily get improved through
the public management system (Bardach, 2015). The lives of various individuals within the city
can easily get enhanced as they benefit through implementing the system. Creators, as well as
other stakeholders, can get useful through their participation in the given process of

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management. If that is the case, the implementation will look to it to ensure that vendors within
the streets of Dhaka city get to be responsible for their various deeds and other
behavioursbehaviours within the urban environment (Bryman, 2012). The urban dweller's
conditions in the town will get improved through the implementation of public management. The
issue of urban governance and that of urban planning can get enhanced by the local authority,
which will favourably work towards getting rid of the vendors within the city. The issue of
vending gets considered as a type of trade that is illegal as approved by the same authority
(Haque, 2010). It is, however, clear that even though it is illegal, a large population of the urban
dwellers sees more essence in that particular business as it caters to their livelihood. Urban
dwellers will, therefore, have more comfort in the vending business if at all, the public
management system gets implemented.
The evaluation criteria get based on researching Dhaka city, for instance, by first carrying
out observation as a means of data collection. It is, therefore, relevant to perform an analysis of
both types of data, both primary and secondary, using the appropriate source (Bryman, 2012). It
is also essential to do venders consultation as well as other customers found within the city of
Dhaka and other areas. Finally, it will be relevant to collect data in the digital format for further
analysis of the situation of vending within Dhaka city.
Policy Alternatives
A solution to the problem of vending within Dhaka city can get facilitated through the
eviction of the same vendors. That can get enhanced by the local authority to minimize the
difficulties faced by the city, such as waste on the environments and congestion. It is, however,
challenging to facilitate the same since eviction creates other issues for the urban dwellers
(Bryman, 2012). That is so because most of the dwellers depend on vending, which caters for

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most of their lives. That is either via the access shops as they obtain most of the goods from them
or by vending itself, which is significant for their livelihood (Haque, 2010). Another alternative
that will be relevant in solving the same problem is for vendors to take responsibility. By doing
so, it means that they will be responsible for the environment in ensuring that they reduce its
destruction. That can get achieved by minimizing the many wastes such as papers that they throw
off and other garbage that tend to destroy the nature of the environment.
Eviction, as an alternative, may have some impact on achieving our given goal. That is so
because through evicting the various vendors, the local authority might have chances of reaching
their objective (Bardach, 2015). There will be no more vendors within the city to pollute the
environment with papers or to cause further obstruction of the pedestrians. This alternative can
work effectively despite the many problems and limitations it can bring to the urban dwellers
(Rizwan, 2016). Taking responsibility by the same vendors might, however, fail to facilitate the
reaching of the same goal (Haque, 2010). That is so because many of the vendors hardly take
responsibility and therefore have little concern for the environment. We cannot expect to reach
our goal only by asking them to take responsibility, which means various challenges will still get
met along the way (Bardach, 2015). Both alternatives will fulfil the evaluation criteria since it is
only a matter of taking data and performing consultation on the different vendors.
Recommendations
The problem of vendors within Dhaka city needs further research to come up with more
brilliant ideas to solve them. The public management system is an essential kind of policy that
will solve the problem since changes get made on the public sector and also the structure for a
better move. The local authority should check into the issue, for instance, through eviction to
minimize it or completely get rid of the problem.

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References
Bardach (2015) the Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving
Bryman (2012) Social Research Methods 4th Edition
Haque (2010) Selected Policy Guidelines on Healthy Street Food Vending in Bangladesh