IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/loceco/v37y2022i5p331-347.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

‘This job is not part of my dreams, what do I leave my children? Nothing’. Livelihoods of Durban car guards at ticketed pay to park sites

Author

Listed:
  • John RW Foster
  • Mihalis Chasomeris
  • Derick Blaauw

Abstract

Car guards are found at many sites where motorists park, including at ticketed pay to park sites. Logic would dictate that most motorists would be less willing to tip car guards when already paying for parking. The study interviewed 15 car guards at different ticketed parking sites in Durban. Their demographic characteristics, among other factors were explored. The findings of this study are then presented and compared to the findings pertaining to an additional 30 car guards (also interviewed in 2019) at free to park sites. Car guards at free to park shopping centres work an average of 44.8Â h weekly earning an average of ZAR13 hourly. At ticketed parking shopping centres, they work an average of 63.2Â h weekly earning an average of ZAR9.50 hourly. At beachfront free to park sites they work an average of 51.2Â h weekly earning an average of ZAR19.10 hourly. At ticketed parking beach front sites, they work an average of 65.7Â h weekly earning an average of ZAR7.90 hourly. The study revealed that car guards at ticketed parking sites earn less. However, they remain optimistic, and display a level of entrepreneurship, even in the face of daily bay fees, regulations and ticketed parking.

Suggested Citation

  • John RW Foster & Mihalis Chasomeris & Derick Blaauw, 2022. "‘This job is not part of my dreams, what do I leave my children? Nothing’. Livelihoods of Durban car guards at ticketed pay to park sites," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 37(5), pages 331-347, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:loceco:v:37:y:2022:i:5:p:331-347
    DOI: 10.1177/02690942221146684
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02690942221146684
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/02690942221146684?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nik Theodore & Derick Blaauw & Catherina Schenck & Abel Valenzuela Jr. & Christie Schoeman & Edwin Meléndez, 2015. "Day labor, informality and vulnerability in South Africa and the United States," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 36(6), pages 807-823, September.
    2. Dickens, William T & Lang, Kevin, 1985. "A Test of Dual Labor Market Theory," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(4), pages 792-805, September.
    3. Servaas van der Berg & Hendrik van Broekhuizen, 2012. "Graduate unemployment in South Africa: A much exaggerated problem," Working Papers 22/2012, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    4. John Foster & Mihalis Chasomeris & Derick Blaauw, 2021. "Re-visiting car guarding as a livelihood in the informal sector," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(5), pages 769-784, September.
    5. Deborah Potts, 2008. "The urban informal sector in sub-Saharan Africa: from bad to good (and back again?)," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(2), pages 151-167.
    6. Hayley McEwen & Anthony Leiman, 2008. "The Car Guards of Cape Town: A Public Good Analysis," SALDRU Working Papers 25, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    7. Haider, L. Jamila & Boonstra, Wiebren J. & Peterson, Garry D. & Schlüter, Maja, 2018. "Traps and Sustainable Development in Rural Areas: A Review," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 311-321.
    8. John Foster & Mihalis Chasomeris, 2017. "Examining car guarding as a livelihood in the informal sector," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 32(6), pages 525-538, September.
    9. Faeez Nackerdien & Derek Yu, 2019. "A panel data analysis of the formal-informal sector labour market linkages in South Africa," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(3), pages 329-350, May.
    10. James Heintz & Dorrit Posel, 2008. "Revisiting Informal Employment And Segmentation In The South African Labour Market," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 76(1), pages 26-44, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Favourate Y Sebele-Mpofu & Nomazulu Moyo, 2021. "An Evil to be Extinguished or a Resource to be harnessed-Informal Sector in Developing Countries: A Case of Zimbabwe," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 13(3), pages 53-72.
    2. Mpendulo Harold Thulare & Inocent Moyo & Sifiso Xulu, 2021. "Systematic Review of Informal Urban Economies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-18, October.
    3. Pierre‐Richard Agénor, 2004. "Macroeconomic Adjustment and the Poor: Analytical Issues and Cross‐Country Evidence," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(3), pages 351-408, July.
    4. Shackleton, C.M. & Garekae, H. & Sardeshpande, M. & Sinasson Sanni, G. & Twine, W.C., 2024. "Non-timber forest products as poverty traps: Fact or fiction?," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    5. Anne Perrot & André Zylberberg, 1989. "Salaire d'efficience et dualisme du marché du travail," Revue Économique, Programme National Persée, vol. 40(1), pages 5-20.
    6. Vincent Dadam & Nicola Viegi, 2021. "Estimating a New Keynesian Wage Phillips Curve," Working Papers 202107, University of Pretoria, Department of Economics.
    7. repec:zbw:ifwkwp:1309 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Morduch, Jonathan J. & Stern, Hal S., 1997. "Using mixture models to detect sex bias in health outcomes in Bangladesh," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 77(1), pages 259-276, March.
    9. Merkl, Christian & Snower, Dennis J., 2008. "Escaping the unemployment trap: The case of East Germany," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 542-556, December.
    10. Stewart, Mark B, 1990. "Union Wage Differentials, Product Market Influences and the Division of Rents," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 100(403), pages 1122-1137, December.
    11. Binnur Balkan & Semih Tumen, 2016. "Firm-Size Wage Gaps along the Formal-Informal Divide: Theory and Evidence," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(2), pages 235-266, April.
    12. Yannick Kalantzis & Ryo Kambayashi & Sébastien Lechevalier, 2012. "Wage and Productivity Differentials in Japan: The Role of Labor Market Mechanisms," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 26(4), pages 514-541, December.
    13. Alexander Mosthaf & Thorsten Schank & Claus Schnabel, 2014. "Low-wage employment versus unemployment: Which one provides better prospects for women?," IZA Journal of European Labor Studies, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 3(1), pages 1-17, December.
    14. Nicola Branson & Amy Kahn, 2016. "The Post Matriculation Enrolment Decision: Do Public Colleges Provide Students with a Viable Alternative? Evidence from the First Four Waves of the National Income Dynamics Study," SALDRU Working Papers 182, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    15. Dossè Mawussi DJAHINI-AFAWOUBO, 2023. "Niveau d’éducation et probabilité d’être employé dans le secteur informel au Togo," Region et Developpement, Region et Developpement, LEAD, Universite du Sud - Toulon Var, vol. 57, pages 29-48.
    16. Henry J. Aaron, 1994. "Distinguished Lecture on Economics in Government: Public Policy, Values, and Consciousness," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 8(2), pages 3-21, Spring.
    17. Joseph Persky & Daniel Felsenstein, 2008. "Multipliers, Markups, and Mobility Rents: In Defense of ‘Chain Models’ in Urban and Regional Analysis," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 40(12), pages 2933-2947, December.
    18. Bargain, Olivier & Etienne, Audrey & Melly, Blaise, 2021. "Informal pay gaps in good and bad times: Evidence from Russia," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 693-714.
    19. Ilan Tojerow, 2008. "Industry Wage Differentials Rent Sharing and Gender in Belgium," Reflets et perspectives de la vie économique, De Boeck Université, vol. 0(3), pages 55-65.
    20. Phan, Diep & Coxhead, Ian, 2010. "Inter-provincial migration and inequality during Vietnam's transition," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 100-112, January.
    21. Ashira Menashe-Oren, 2020. "Migrant-based youth bulges and social conflict in urban sub-Saharan Africa," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 42(3), pages 57-98.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:loceco:v:37:y:2022:i:5:p:331-347. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/index.shtml .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.