Explaining Cross-Country Variations In The Prevalence Of Informal Sector Competitors: Lessons From The World Bank Enterprise Survey, Colin C. Williams
Apr 2018
Explaining Cross-Country Variations In The Prevalence Of Informal Sector Competitors: Lessons From The World Bank Enterprise Survey, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
To advance understanding of informal sector entrepreneurship, the aim of this
paper is to evaluate and explain the cross-country variations in the prevalence of informal
sector competitors. To do so, World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) data is reported
from 142 countries. This reveals that 27% of formal enterprises view competition from the
informal sector as a major constraint on their operations, although this varies from 72%of
formal enterprises in Chad to no formal enterprises in El Salvador. To explain these crosscountry
variations, four competing theories are evaluated which variously view informal
sector entrepreneurship and enterprise to bemore prevalent when there …
Starting-Up Unregistered And Firm Performance In Turkey, Colin C. Williams
Mar 2018
Starting-Up Unregistered And Firm Performance In Turkey, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
Recent years have seen a questioning of the negative representation of
informal sector entrepreneurship and an emergent view that it may offer significant
benefits. This paper advances this rethinking by evaluating the relationship between
business registration and future firm performance. Until now, the assumption has been
that starting-up unregistered is linked to weaker firm performance. Using World Bank
Enterprise Survey data on 2494 formal enterprises in Turkey, and controlling for other
determinants of firm performance as well as the endogeneity of the registration
decision, the finding is that formal enterprises that started-up unregistered and spent
longer unregistered have significantly higher …
Undeclared Economic Activities Of Croatian Companies Findings From A Representative Survey Of 521 Companies, Colin C. Williams
Sep 2017
Undeclared Economic Activities Of Croatian Companies Findings From A Representative Survey Of 521 Companies, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
This report presents the findings of a survey on undeclared economic practices undertaken by Croatian companies. In order to obtain the rigorous evidence on undeclared work in Croatia, we previously investigated citizens’ experiences with undeclared work and the practice of envelope wages. With this representative survey of 521 companies, we focus on frequency of company engagement in the undeclared economy.
Beyond The Formal Economy: Evaluating The Level Of Employment In Informal Sector Enterprises In Global Perspective, Colin C. Williams
Dec 2012
Beyond The Formal Economy: Evaluating The Level Of Employment In Informal Sector Enterprises In Global Perspective, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
The aim of this paper is to evaluate the varying level of employment in informal sector enterprises
across the globe and to undertake an exploratory analysis of the wider economic and social conditions
associated with greater levels of informalization. Examining International Labor Organization surveys
conducted in 43 countries, the finding is that the main job of just under one in three (31.5 percent) nonagricultural
workers is in an informal sector enterprise. Conducting an exploratory analysis of the
correlation between countries with higher levels of employment in informal sector enterprises and
economic under-development (‘modernization’ thesis), higher taxes, corruption and state interference …
Jde 2012 Ghana Motives.Pdf, Colin C. Williams
Dec 2011
Jde 2012 Ghana Motives.Pdf, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
In recent years, there has been growing recognition in the entrepreneurship literature that many
entrepreneurs operate in the informal economy and that not all these informal entrepreneurs are doing
so out of economic necessity and because of a lack of choice. Instead, it has been asserted that some of
these informal entrepreneurs choose to exit the formal economy and trade on an off-the-books basis
more as a matter of choice. However, until now most research displaying this has been conducted in
advanced western and post-socialist economies. Little has been written on whether this is also the case
in third (majority) …
