Abstract
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were established by the United Nations for the year 2030 are considered the blueprint for reaching a sustainable future through addressing poverty eradication, education, social protection, environmental protection, climate change, health, job opportunities, and strong institutions. Until now, sustainable development has focused mainly on the formal sector, somehow neglecting the potential contributions of the informal sector to sustainable futures. In this context, the paper aims to analyze the main causes of the Romanian shadow economy (SE) both at the micro and macro levels, and how they can make a considerable impact on achieving a more sustainable future. The main purpose of the paper is to highlight the relevance of knowing the main determinants of this phenomenon, emphasizing that keeping the incidence of the shadow economy and its causes under control could offer an alternative in the process of achieving sustainable development. In order to do that, we use an improved MIMIC (Multiple Causes Multiple Indicators) specification of the causal variables that is grounded in an evidence-based approach through using the points of view of the Romanian entrepreneurs. Their opinions are based on a national representative survey that is based on quarterly data covering the period 2000–2017. The empirical analysis pointed out the roles of tax avoidance, bribery, a lack of trust in public officials, the poor quality of business legislation, the poor government support for entrepreneurs, high social contributions, a relatively high of corruption, high tax rates, and uncertainty about regulation policies in increasing incidences of shadow economic activity. The macroeconomic results that were revealed to be the main causes for the Romanian SE were self-employment, unemployment, part-time employment, and the lack of trust in public institutions. Therefore, policymakers need to focus on building reliable and transparent institutions with a lower level of corruption, regulations, and bureaucracy, regaining people’ confidence in public institutions, and elaborating effective strategies for tackling the undeclared activities that will contribute to the achievement of sustainable development desideratum by the fulfillment of two main SDGs. These are Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth, and Goal 16: Peace, justice, and strong institutions.
Highlights
The main purpose of the paper is to highlight the relevance of knowing the main determinants of this phenomenon, emphasizing that keeping the incidence of the shadow economy and its causes under control could offer an alternative in the process of achieving sustainable development
The literature on sustainable development mainly took into account the shifts within the official sector; even if the informal economy is present in every economy in a smaller or larger proportion, sustainable development somehow has neglected the potential contributions of the informal sector to sustainable futures
In order to identify the main determinants of the shadow economy, the improved Multiple Causes Multiple Indicators (MIMIC) approach will incorporate the potential causes of shadow economic activity based on the opinions of Romanian entrepreneurs highlighted by the survey of Romanian company owners/managers
Summary
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were established in 2015 are the central elements of the United Nations (UN)’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and represent a driving force incorporating global efforts for achieving sustainable development. The research aims to identify the most important determinants of the Romanian shadow economy using an improved Multiple Causes Multiple Indicators (MIMIC) specification of the causal variables grounded in an evidence-based approach using the perceptions of the Romanian entrepreneurs, and analyze how each of those drivers can offer valuable information for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. By identifying the main drivers of the shadow economic activity, taking into account the perceptions of Romanian entrepreneurs, the direct result will be an improved MIMIC specification of the causal variables grounded in an evidence-based approach. The paper ends with main conclusions and policy implications, which are considered fundamental in the process of tackling the shadow economic activities and its implications for sustainable development, as well as some suggestions for future work
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