Click on the title below, "Day Labor Markets and Public Space," to see the paper, now posted on SSRN at http://ssrn.com/abstract=1332832
Day laborers standing on street corners have become a more common, and more controversial, sight in many U.S. cities. Taking them to be evidence of public disorder and illegal immigration out of control, some communities have responded by adopting the strategy of exclusion. They have revived the enforcement of ordinances against loitering and vagrancy, and changed traffic rules to discourage drivers from stopping to pick up workers. Other communities have responded by adopting the strategy of shelter. Viewing street corner day laborers as vulnerable, these communities have opened indoor work centers that offer job placement and other services. The article criticizes both approaches, and argues that a place should be made for day labor markets on the street.