“She’s a Flagger, and I’m a Panner”: Exploring the Intricacies of Flagging, Panhandling, and Street Economies

For survival, unhoused community members develop creative and alternative means for generating income, given most are excluded from the formal labor market. Of the various informal activities they engage in, few are more publicly visible than panhandling. Drawing upon 66 interviews with marginalized and street-involved persons in Winnipeg, Canada, we explore participants’ narratives and varied experiences with two distinct begging activities, “panning” and “flagging.” We unmask why participants chose specific activities and illuminate these activities’ structures, norms, and social dynamics. We show that while panhandling is a primarily solitary behavior, flagging is a highly organized and intricate type of informal labor characterized by social networks, cohesion, conflict and control over space. Accordingly, we discuss how social and environmental structures, norms, and dynamics can support and constrict marginalized people’s informal labor opportunities.