This paper reviews competing theories about the causes of informality in developing
countries and uses new data to determine which theory best explains the persistence and …

The main goal of this study is two-fold:(1) to provide ageneral overview of the contributions
to the literature on theinformal sector, with a special focus on the public choiceapproach; …

We undertake an extended discussion of the latest developments about the existing and
new estimation methods of the shadow economy. New results on the shadow economy for …

This paper introduces a comprehensive database of informal economic activity. The
database focuses on measures that have strong cross-country and over time coverage: it …

The multiple indicator-multiple cause (MIMIC) method is a well-established tool for
measuring informal economic activity. However, it has been criticized because GDP is used …

This paper presents various methods used for estimating the size of the shadow economy.
Each method is evaluated and its strengths and weaknesses are discussed, as well as …

Activities associated with shadow economies are facts of life around the world. Most
societies attempt to control these activities through various measures such as punishment …

Using various methods, the size of the shadow economy in 76 developing, transition, and
OECD countries is estimated. Average size varies from 12 percent of GDP for OECD …

In this paper, we examine the effects of pro-market institutions on both formal and informal
entrepreneurship. While formal entrepreneurship has long been studied in economic …

In many countries, public sector institutions impose heavy burdens on economic life: heavy
and arbitrary taxes retard investment, regulations enrich corrupt bureaucrats, state firms …