Beyond Formalization: Pseudo-Inclusion and Equilibrium of Vulnerability Among Modern Mobile Coffee Vendors

Abstract

The shifting trend in informal sector formalization—driven by corporate network expansion in modern mobile coffee businesses across urban public spaces—engenders the fragmentation of worker relations and the exclusion of spatial rights to the city. Prior research has predominantly focused on micro-marketing strategies, location agility, as well as vendor adaptation and resistance. This study aims to examine the transformation of strategic public spaces into competitive arenas for modern mobile coffee vendors, the emerging spatial-temporal compromises, and their implications for urban social inclusion. A qualitative approach with a case study design was employed, focusing on modern mobile coffee vendors across five pioneering corporations in DKI Jakarta. Primary data were gathered through in-depth interviews and systematically analyzed using NVivo software. The findings reveal several key insights: (1) a shift in daily mobility patterns from market-driven choices to coerced spatial mobility governed by base-location algorithms, sales turnover targets, and law enforcement threats; (2) the emergence of an equilibrium of vulnerability resulting from individualized partnership schemes that trigger social fragmentation, wherein physical distancing compromises are maintained solely to prevent open conflict and collective eviction; and (3) the manifestation of pseudo-inclusivity, wherein vendors are economically embraced and utilized, yet systematically excluded from spatial rights and urban spatial planning. These findings highlight the necessity of institutional involvement and corporate responsibility, while urging urban governance policymakers to formulate proportional public space utilization regulations.