2019 Annual Platform Survey: Tackling Undeclared In The Collaborative Economy And Bogus Self-Employment, Data Exchange And Data Protection, And Cross-Border Sanctions, Colin C. Williams
Oct 2019
2019 Annual Platform Survey: Tackling Undeclared In The Collaborative Economy And Bogus Self-Employment, Data Exchange And Data Protection, And Cross-Border Sanctions, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
This survey collected information from EU Member States, as well as Iceland and Norway, on three issues:
Tackling undeclared work in the collaborative economy and bogus self-employment.
Data exchange and data protection.
Cross-border sanctions.
Of the 28 Platform members from EU Member States as well as Iceland and Norway, 28 out of 30 responses were received. In addition, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) provided qualitative feedback on the role of social partners and their cooperation with enforcement authorities to tackle undeclared work in the areas covered by the survey.
Diagnostic Report On Undeclared Work In Bosnia And Herzegovina: A Preliminary Report, Colin C. Williams
Mar 2019
Diagnostic Report On Undeclared Work In Bosnia And Herzegovina: A Preliminary Report, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
The main objective of this study is to investigate undeclared employment in Bosnia and Herzegovina, its extent, character, potential determinants and current policy approach in tackling this problem. The study relies on the existing EU literature with similar focus, typical secondary data and two primary data sources gathered through a representative survey of BiH population and in-depth interviews with state officials working on undeclared employment. The study thus provides in-depth analysis of undeclared employment in BiH and as such it aims to serve as an underpinning tool which should help to identify new set of policies needed to improve the …
Diagnostic Report On Undeclared Work In Kosovo: Preliminary Report, Colin C. Williams
Mar 2019
Diagnostic Report On Undeclared Work In Kosovo: Preliminary Report, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
This diagnostic report evaluates the extent, nature and drivers of undeclared work in Kosovo* followed by recommendations regarding how this sphere can be tackled
Diagnostic Report On Undeclared Work In Montenegro: Preliminary Report, Colin C. Williams
Mar 2019
Diagnostic Report On Undeclared Work In Montenegro: Preliminary Report, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
The Montenegrin labour market is characterized by low activity of the working age population, relatively high unemployment, particularly among the young, wide spread undeclared work and the lack of a sufficient number of new and quality jobs. Volume of undeclared work in Montenegro is significant, amounting to one third of total employment. The key purpose of this policy paper is to provide insight into the scope of the undeclared economy in Montenegro, to describe the policy measures implemented in order to tackle undeclared economy and their effectiveness. This involved both desk-based research and interviews with institutions involved in tackling the …
Diagnostic Report On Undeclared Work In Serbia: A Preliminary Report, Colin C. Williams
Feb 2019
Diagnostic Report On Undeclared Work In Serbia: A Preliminary Report, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
This report evaluates the extent, nature and drivers of the undeclared economy in Serbia and is followed by a report that will provide recommendations regarding how this sphere can be tackled.
Diagnostic Report On Undeclared Work In Albania: Preliminary Report, Colin C. Williams
Dec 2018
Diagnostic Report On Undeclared Work In Albania: Preliminary Report, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
This diagnostic report evaluates the extent, nature and drivers of the undeclared economy in Albania. Based on desk-research and interviews with various stakeholders, this report sets the scene for a strategy and action plan for tackling undeclared work in Albania, presented in a separate document.
Diagnostic Report On Undeclared Work In The Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia, Colin C. Williams
Dec 2018
Diagnostic Report On Undeclared Work In The Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
This diagnostic report evaluates the extent, nature and drivers of the undeclared economy in The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia followed by recommendations regarding how this sphere can be tackled
Does Trust Prevent Undeclared Work? An Evaluation Of The Social Actor Approach, Colin C. Williams
Aug 2018
Does Trust Prevent Undeclared Work? An Evaluation Of The Social Actor Approach, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
In recent decades, a burgeoning literature has brought out of the shadows the magnitude of the undeclared economy. This reveals that the undeclared economy is a persistent feature of contemporary economies. With the equivalent of 17.9 per cent of GDP not declared to the authorities in the European Union in 2016 [1], undeclared work representing 14.3 per cent of gross value added in the private sector in 2013 [2] and 4 per cent of EU28 citizens conducting undeclared work [3], tackling the undeclared economy is not some minor issue. Addressing this practice is important. This is not only because of …
Evaluating Competing Perspectives Towards Undeclared Work: Some Lessons From Bulgaria, Colin C. Williams
Aug 2018
Evaluating Competing Perspectives Towards Undeclared Work: Some Lessons From Bulgaria, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
When explaining and tackling the undeclared economy in Central
and Eastern Europe, participants have been conventionally viewed
as rational economic actors. They engage in undeclared work
when the benefits outweigh the costs. Participation is thus
deterred by increasing the sanctions and/or probability of being
caught. Recently, however, an alternative social actor approach
has emerged which views participants as engaging in undeclared
work when their norms, values and beliefs (i.e. citizen morale) do
not align with laws and regulations (i.e. state morale). Here, therefore,
initiatives to develop greater symmetry between civic and
state morale are pursued. To evaluate the validity and …
Explaining Informal Sector Entrepreneurship In Kosovo: An Institutionalist Perspective, Colin C. Williams
May 2018
Explaining Informal Sector Entrepreneurship In Kosovo: An Institutionalist Perspective, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
Institutional theory has been widely used to explain entrepreneurship in the informal economy.
A first wave of institutionalist theory argued that informal entrepreneurship resulted from formal
institutional failures and a second wave that such entrepreneurship results from an asymmetry
between the laws and regulations of formal institutions and the unwritten socially shared rules of
informal institutions. This paper evaluates the validity of these two waves of institutionalist explanation
and a new third wave of institutional theory explaining informal entrepreneurship in terms
of a lack of both vertical and horizontal trust. Reporting data from a 2013 survey in Kosovo
involving 500 …
Evaluating Competing Theories Of Informal Sector Entrepreneurship: A Study Of The Determinants Of Cross-Country Variations In Enterprises Starting-Up Unregistered, Colin C. Williams
May 2018
Evaluating Competing Theories Of Informal Sector Entrepreneurship: A Study Of The Determinants Of Cross-Country Variations In Enterprises Starting-Up Unregistered, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
To advance understanding of the reasons for informal sector entrepreneurship, this article evaluates the determinants of
cross-country variations in the extent to which enterprises are unregistered when they start operating. Reporting the
World Bank Enterprise Survey data on 67,515 enterprises across 142 countries, the finding is that one in five (19.9%) of
the formal enterprises surveyed started-up unregistered, although this varies from all enterprises surveyed in some
countries (e.g. Pakistan) to 1% of surveyed enterprises in Slovakia. To explain these cross-country variations, four
competing theories are evaluated which variously assert that nonregistration is determined by either: economic
under-development and poorer …
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 …
Dependent Self-Employment: Trends, Challenges And Policy Responses In The Eu, Colin C. Williams
Dec 2017
Dependent Self-Employment: Trends, Challenges And Policy Responses In The Eu, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
Across the EU28, there is not only a significant ‘jobs gap’ with only 70.1 per cent of
the working age population in jobs but also concerns over the quality of jobs. One
particular concern is that employees are being falsely classified as self-employed by
employers in order to circumvent collective agreements, labour laws (e.g., minimum
wages, working time legislation), employment tax and other employer liabilities implied
in the standard contract of employment, and that the emergent ‘gig’ or ‘platform’ economy
is accelerating this trend.
This report evaluates this emergent employment relationship, here termed ‘dependent’
self-employment, which covers those classified as …
Preventative Policy Measures To Tackle Undeclared Work In Croatia, Colin C. Williams
Jul 2017
Preventative Policy Measures To Tackle Undeclared Work In Croatia, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
This report examines the drivers of the undeclared economy in Croatia, the current organisation of the fight against undeclared work, and reviews the current and potential policy approaches and measures for tackling undeclared work in Croatia.
Drivers of the undeclared economy in Croatia
Recently, significant advances have been made in explaining the determinants of undeclared work. To explain undeclared work, it has been understood that every society has institutions which prescribe, monitor and enforce the ‘rules of the game’ regarding what is socially acceptable. In all societies, these institutions are of two types: formal institutions that prescribe ‘state morality’ …
En_Final_ Diagnostic Report On Undeclared Work In Greece.Pdf, Colin C. Williams
Sep 2016
En_Final_ Diagnostic Report On Undeclared Work In Greece.Pdf, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
This diagnostic report evaluates the extent, nature and drivers of the undeclared economy in Greece followed by recommendations regarding how this sphere can be tackled.
Extent and nature of the undeclared economy in Greece
The size of the undeclared economy is commonly estimated to be equivalent to some 25% of GDP in Greece. A catalyst for its prevalence is the relatively high level of self-employment and large share of micro- and small enterprises. Micro enterprises with 1-9 employees represent 96% of all enterprises in Greece, employing 55% of the labour force (compared with less than 30% in the EU-28). …
Designing Survey Methods To Evaluate The Undeclared Economy: A Review Of The Options, Colin C. Williams
Jun 2015
Designing Survey Methods To Evaluate The Undeclared Economy: A Review Of The Options, Colin C. Williams
Colin C Williams
This Working Paper is part of the GREY project which is developing capacities and capabilities in tackling undeclared work. In this Working Paper, the various options available to researchers when designing surveys to tackle undeclared work are evaluated. These issues include the unit of analysis used, the data collection methodology, an array of questionnaire design issues (including the reference period, whether to define the phenomenon for participants, a direct versus gradual approach to sensitive issues, whether to do a supply- and/or demand-side survey; whether to examine the relationship between purchasers and sellers, how to discourage social desirability bias), sample size, …
The Shadow Economy, Colin C. Williams, Friedrich Schneider
May 2013
The Shadow Economy, Colin C. Williams, Friedrich Schneider
Colin C Williams
No abstract provided.
Evaluating The Prevalence And Nature Of Self-Employment In The Informal Economy: Evidence From A 27-Nation European Survey, Colin C. Williams, Jan Windebank, Sara Nadin
Jan 2012
Evaluating The Prevalence And Nature Of Self-Employment In The Informal Economy: Evidence From A 27-Nation European Survey, Colin C. Williams, Jan Windebank, Sara Nadin
Colin C Williams
Despite the emergent recognition that many in the informal economy work on a self-employed basis, few have evaluated the extent and character of such endeavour. To start to fill this gap, a 2007 Eurobarometer survey composed of 26,659 face-to-face interviews in 27 European countries is reported. This reveals that 1 in 28 of the surveyed population participated in self-employment in the informal economy over the previous year, albeit with some significant socio-economic and spatial variations in the commonality and character of participation, and their reasons for doing so. The paper concludes by reviewing the implications for future research and policy.
