Irregular Economy Research Articles

The Socio-environmental Implications of Argentina’s Informal Economy in Antonio Berni’s Xilo-collage Inundación en el barrio de Juanito (1961)

Through a socio-aesthetic analysis of the xilo-collage Inundación en el barrio de Juanito realized in 1961 by acclaimed Argentinian visual and plastic artist Antonio Berni (1905–1981), the present article offers an ecocritical perspective on the anthropological and environmental consequences of the deposit of trash and floods affecting the unregulated residential settlements of the metropolitan areas of Buenos Aires and their portrayal in Berni’s artwork. By analysing the connections between objets trouvés, or recycled art, urban migration, the irregular economy and natural elements, this study considers plastic art as an alternative form of text that, just like literature, works as a dynamic archive of the intricate relationship between urban settlers, rubbish and the innocent yet disastrous rainfalls influencing their neighbourhoods.

Teaching Entrepreneurship with Different Methodologies

The aim of the paper is to prove the usefulness of practice-oriented teaching methods in entrepreneurship skills and programs at Bachelor and Master level in the newly joined EU countries. The paper put this question in historical context, since entrepreneurship as a special form of firms is quite a new form in the Central-Eastern European countries. The historical legacy of these countries pushed the talented and agile workforce into the informal, irregular economy, which is the reason why the teachers and the lecturers were challenged after the change of the regime. This backwardness started to eliminate the obstacles and the barriers in front of the practice-oriented teaching methods.

Perception and rating of tourism entrepreneurs in the recovery of travel destinations affected by social-natural disasters: Case study from the April 16th earthquake in Ecuador

This study analyzes the perceptions and rating of local tourism entrepreneurs affected by the earthquake on April 16th, 2016 in the Province of Manabí, Ecuador. A hybrid methodology was utilized to identify the resiliency and potential recovery of tourist destinations after this social-natural catastrophe. The questionnaire consisted of structured questions with an assigned value according to the Likert scale and was supported by a checklist of questions and actions carried out in the territory during the post-disaster recovery. Previous fieldwork was used to determine a sample size of the population. Currently, the precise amount is unknown because despite relying on statistics of registered tourist establishments in the official MINTUR census, there exists a high number of businesses that operate in the field of an informal and irregular economy. A simple random sample of 196 entrepreneurs was used and the results gave off averages that were graded “insufficient” and “regular” for the on-site actions taken by local authorities. Leisure and free time services were perceived to have the lowest level of recovery while the basic services of hospitality and accommodation showed better values. The perception of the impact on tourism activities in the destination recovery was low and one of the most concerning points was related to the migration of the local population and relocation of many tourist businesses to other areas not affected by seismic disasters.

Addressing county lines: praxis for community safety practitioners

PurposeCounty lines involving the exploitation of vulnerable children and young people by gangs have been described as a bigger threat than the exploitation exposed by the Rotherham scandal (The Times, 27 November 2017). The purpose of this paper is to explain the contingencies and drivers informing gang identities in the irregular economy of drugs and make some suggestions to address these.Design/methodology/approachThe paper discusses the social reality (ontology) of UK gangs in the UK and the different theories of knowledge about gangs (epistemologies) that can both help and hamper gangs’ policy and practices. The paper is based on recent research and sets out strategic ideas for good community safety practice in order to develop multi-modal partnership interventions in gang-affected neighbourhoods. Recent policies are located within the broader political economy of crime, which raises questions of current policy direction to achieve safer neighbourhoods.FindingsA critical realist approach to gangs (Pitts, 2016) assumes that unobservable structures (patterns of relations and roles) cause observable events (gang behaviour). This suggests a reality of gangs independent of theories about them. In this paradigm, the author’s theories about the world are historically, socially and culturally situated and always partial. Not only do gangs change in space and time, but also so do the author’s representations of them.Research limitations/implicationsArguably, at this moment, the authors’ best ideas about the underlying causal forces which precipitate gangs involve social structures which have push and pull factors acting in conjunction with culturally enmeshed individuals with limited choices. The pushes of social exclusionary factors such as institutional racism and unemployment act in consort with pull factors of excessive consumerism. However, the author’s ideas about gangs are partial and fallible, and this demands a methodological pluralism that involves a range of stakeholders when researching and formulating appropriate interventions.Practical implicationsTo address the impact of gang violence at the micro or neighbourhood level, Andell and Pitts (2009, 2013, 2017) developed an interactive model of action research which is inclusive of the experiences and knowledge of stakeholders. This knowledge can be valuable not only to build multi-modal strategies in gang-affected neighbourhoods, but can also be useful as a reflexive spur to provide feedback and direction on what works to reduce community harms. Earlier research experience (Andell and Pitts 2009, 2013, 2017) informs ideas that that single agency or “siloed” approaches to problems associated with gangs and drug markets can cause confusion and mistrust for other stakeholders and that more integrated approaches are needed.Social implicationsIn order to assist young people to attain their potential with the assistance of institutions, both micro and macro changes need to take place. The social capital of community networks needs to be enhanced and the redistributive potential of economic policy needs to be enacted. Therefore, policy is needed which is founded on the belief that research is capable of understanding the mechanisms that produce material and cultural domination, and this analysis, in conjunction with stakeholder knowledge, could lead to a realistic program for collective actions in both the micro and macro spheres that reduce relative deprivation and curb the cultural mores for excess.Originality/valueThe paper suggests a critical realist approach to gangs (Pitts, 2016) and assumes that unobservable structures (patterns of relations and roles) cause observable events (gang behaviour). This imputes a reality of gangs independent of theories about them. In this paradigm, the author’s theories about the world are historical, socially and culturally situated and always partial. Not only do gangs change in space and time, but also so do the author’s representations of them.

Mobilisation and violence in the new media ecology: the Dua Khalil Aswad and Camilia Shehata cases

This article examines two cases in which political groups sought to harness the new media ecology to mobilise and justify acts of violence to public audiences and to supporters. In each case, a woman's suffering is presented and instrumentalised. However, the new media ecology offers an increasingly irregular economy of media modulation: digital footage may emerge today, in a year or never, and it may emerge anywhere to anyone. The cases analysed here allow for reflection on the tension between contingency and intentionality as that irregular economy brings uncertainty for the political actors involved. Dua Khalil Aswad, an Iraqi teenager of the Yazidi faith, was stoned to death by a Yazidi mob consisting of tens of men, mostly her relatives. One Yazidi uploaded a film of the killing. This led to violent reprisals against the Yazidis. Camilia Shehata is a young Coptic Egyptian who, after allegedly converting to Islam, was returned to her church with the help of Egyptian security forces and kept in hiding despite public protests. Extremists in Iraq and Egypt seized on the Shehata case to justify violence against Christians. In both instances, the irregular emergence of digital content and its remediation through these media ecologies enabled distributed agency in ways that empowered and confounded states, terrorists and citizens.

Análisis de la política migratoria llevada a cabo con el proceso de normalización de 2005: autorizaciones iniciales y posteriores renovaciones

El objeto de este estudio es valorar, tras cuatro años, desde que se llevó a cabo por parte del Gobierno Español el proceso de regularización de inmigrantes del año 2005, si los objetivos de aquella política pública culminaron de forma satisfactoria, y analizar sus resultados hasta el momento actual. El estudio se centra en la evaluación de los flujos migratorios a partir de los expedientes de autorizaciones iniciales de residencia y trabajo por cuenta ajena concedidos en el año 2005 y sus posteriores renovaciones en 2006 y 2008. Podría decirse que el proceso fue un éxito desde el punto de vista de la gestión y de los resultados obtenidos, ya que se trató del mayor proceso de afloramiento de economía sumergida en Europa de los últimos 40 ó 50 años, permitiendo a corto plazo la inserción de más de medio millón de trabajadores en el sistema económico productivo y en el régimen de la Seguridad Social. El 66% de los inmigrantes han mantenido su empleo hasta comienzos de 2009, a pesar de la crisis económica de los últimos años.

The Irregular Economy in Systemic Transformation

Although it already existed in Central and Eastern Europe during Soviet times, the irregular economy has boomed in the last dozen years, while undergoing a dramatic change of structure. This boom has sometimes been used to justify the claim that ‘transitional depression’ has been grossly overestimated and, consequently, that growth rates have been underestimated. This paper presents some quantitative estimates in different countries, including Russia. The data show a remarkable difference in the size of the irregular economy in different countries, which calls for explanation. The paper warns against the easy conclusion that the large size of the irregular economy is a synonym for bad official statistics. This warning is then translated into a statistical exercise applied to Hungarian data that offers an evaluation of statistical underestimation and its consequences for growth rates.

Inside the Black Box: Labour Market Institutions, Wage Formation and Unemployment in Italy

This study provides an assessment of the features that, operating inside the black box, shapes the evolution of the Italian economy. In the first section the focus is placed on the functioning of the labour market at the aggregate level. The picture described suggests that the Italian labour market is characterized by high employment rates for adult males and both low participation and low employment rates for other groups of individuals (such as young, old and females) and by a large share of long-term unemployment. The rise in unemployment and its persistently high level have been blamed, both in Italy and in other European countries, on imperfections and rigidities originating mainly in the labour market. In this case, both strong employment protection regulation and rigid system of wage determination appear to have played a major role in Italy. In particular, the existence of high wage floor - either set through statutory minimum wages or by collective bargaining - has the effect of segmenting the labour force, increasing job instability and paradoxically increasing the duration of unemployment. An additional dimension of segmentation also characterizes the Italian labour market, notably the 30 percent's unemployment rate in the South (6 percent in the North) and the presence of a large share of the labour force employed in the underground economy. In the last section, we discuss how the decentralisation of bargaining, the introduction of higher labour market flexibility as well as the reform of social security, could reduce insider power in the labour market and eliminate the vicious cycle that tends to displace workers out of the primary sector, thus fueling the irregular economy.

Corporate governance and residual state property (two qualitative shortcomings of privatization in transition countries)

The privatization in transition countries generated distorsions. Among the most dangerous distorsions are those introduced by a non legal or criminal privatization of management with the help of former or new informal networks connecting managers to the irregular economy and to some extent to the mafia. State regulation is required to control again monopoly power in privatized utilities and sectors where private stakes have won privileged position. It should be better to recognize the unavoidable role of the state in economic restructuring and use its intervention as a complementary - rather than an antagonistic - tool of the economic transition.

THE INFORMAL SECTOR TRADE AMONG SUB‐SAHARAN AFRICAN COUNTRIES: A SURVEY AND EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION

The Developing EconomiesVolume 31, Issue 2 p. 151-170 Free Access THE INFORMAL SECTOR TRADE AMONG SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN COUNTRIES: A SURVEY AND EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION Jérémie DONGALA, Jérémie DONGALASearch for more papers by this author Jérémie DONGALA, Jérémie DONGALASearch for more papers by this author First published: June 1993 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1049.1993.tb00019.xCitations: 1 This author was a research fellow at the Japan Center for International Finance (JCIF) when this paper was written. He is grateful for the financial support from this institution. Opinions and analyses expressed are those of the author and not necessarily of the institution with which he is affiliated. AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL References 1 African Development Bank. Economic Report on Africa ( Abidjan : African Development Bank and Economic Commission for Africa, 1987). 2 African Development Bank. “ Stimulating Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa,” An agenda for action devised at a conference held in Abidjan , 1988. 3 Bhatia, R. The West African Monetary Union: An Analytical Survey, Occasional Paper No. 35 ( Washington , D.C. : International Monetary Fund, 1985). 4 Codo, L. C. Incidences économiques des flux transfrontaliers clandestins: Le cas du Nigeria et du Benin,” Afrique contemporaine, No. 140 (OctoberNovember 1986). 5 Eboue, C. M. Epargne informelle et développement économique en Afrique, Mondes en développement, Vol. 16, No. 62–63 (1988). 6 European Communities. Foreign Trade Statistics ( Luxembourg ). 7 Feige, E. L. How Big Is the Irregular Economy Challenge, Vol. 22, No. 5 (November 1979). 8 First, T. Black Gold: The Mozambican Miner, Proletarian and Peasant ( New York : St. Martin's Press, 1983). 9 Gutman, P. M. Subterranean Economy, Financial Analyst Journal, Vol. 33, No. 5 (September 1977). 10 Helleiner, G. K. Comments on ‘Comparative Advantage and Structural Transformation: A Review of Africa's Economic Development Experience,'” in The State of Development Economics: Progress and Perspectives, Ed. G. Ranis and T. P. Schultz ( New York : Basil Blackwell, 1988). 11 International Currency Analysis, Inc. World Currency Yearbook ( Birmingham , Ala. ). 12 International Labour Organisation. Employment, Incomes, and Equality: A Strategy for Increasing Productive Employment in Kenya ( Geneva , 1972). 13 International Monetary Fund. Government Finance Statistics ( Washington , D.C. ). 14 International Monetary Fund. International Financial Statistics ( Washington , D.C. ). 15 Johnson, O. E. G. Trade Tax and Exchange Rate Coordination in the Context of Border Trading: A Theoretical Analysis, International Monetary Fund Staff Papers, Vol. 34, No. 3 (September 1987). 16 Keou, R. G. Le SA: Une tontine du Cameroun et la prévention de la délinquance” (quoted in Eboue [5]). 17 McDonald, D. C. Trade Data Discrepancies and the Incentive to Smuggle: An Empirical Analysis, International Monetary Fund Staff Papers, Vol. 32, No. 4 (December 1985). 18 Maciejewski, E. B. Real Effective Exchange Rates Indices: A Reexamination of the Major Conceptual and Methodological Issues, International Monetary Fund Staff Papers, Vol. 30, No. 3 (September 1983). 19 May, E. Exchange Controls and Parallel Markets in Foreign Exchange in Sub-Saharan Africa: Focus on Ghana, World Bank Staff Working Papers No. 711 ( Washington , D.C. , 1985). 20 Miracle, M. P.; Miracle, D.S.; and Cohen, L. Informal Savings Mobilization in Africa, Economic Development and Cultural Change, Vol. 28, No. 4 (July 1980). 21 Pick's Currency Yearbook ( New York : Pick Publishing Corporation). 22 Siggels, E. Protection, Distortions and Investment Incentives in Zaire, Journal of Development Economics, Vol. 22, No. 2 (July-August 1986). 23 Tanzi, V. The Underground Economy in the United States: Annual Estimates, 1930-80, International Monetary Fund Staff Papers, Vol. 30, No. 2 (June 1983). 24 Toumi, M. Circuits officiels et réseaux parallèles en Afrique, Science et vie économie, No. 24 (January 1987). 25 World Bank. Demographic Aspects of Migration in West Africa, 2 vols., World Bank Staff Working Papers Nos. 414 and 415 ( Washington , D.C. , 1980). 26 World Bank. Sub-Saharan Africa: From Crisis to Sustainable Growth: A Long-term Perspective Study ( Washington , D.C. , 1989). Citing Literature Volume31, Issue2June 1993Pages 151-170 ReferencesRelatedInformation

The Underground Economies: Tax Evasion and Information Distortion.

List of contributors Preface Introduction Edgar L. Feige Part I. The Meaning, Measurement and Policy Implications of the Underground Economies: 1. The meaning and measurement of the underground economy Edgar L. Feige 2. Information distortions in social systems: the underground economy and other observer-subject-policymaker feedbacks Robert R. Alford and Edgar L. Feige 3. Policy illusion, macroeconomic instability and the unrecorded economy Robert T. McGee and Edgar L. Feige 4. How large (or small) should the underground economy be? Bruno Frey Part II. The Underground Economy in Western Developed Nations: Measurement in Different Laboratories: 5. Monetary perspective on underground economic activity in the United States Richard D. Porter and Amanda S. Bayer 6. The unrecorded economy and the national income accounts in the Netherlands: a sensitivity analysis G. A. A. M. Broesterhuizen 7. Assessing the underground economy in the United Kingdom Michael O'Higgins 8. The underground economy in the Federal Republic of Germany: a preliminary assessment Enno Langfeldt 9. The underground economy in Sweden Ingemar Hansson 10. The irregular economy of Italy: a survey of contributions Bruno Contini 11. The hidden economy in Norway with special emphasis on the hidden labor market Arne Jon Isachsen and Steiner Strom 12. Canada's underground economy Rolf Mirus and Roger S. Smith 13. The underground economy in France Philippe Barthelemy Part III. The Underground Economy Under Central Planning: 14. The Soviet second economy in a political and legal perspective F. J. M. Feldbrugge 15. Second economy and socialism: the Hungarian experience Istvan R. Gabor Bibliography.

Criminology and Economics of Drug Distribution in Britain: Options for Control

In this paper focus is upon the criminology and economics of drug control in Britain and criticizes the prevalent and dominating concepts of “supply” and “demand” that underlie current drug control theory and policies.An alternative perspective is proposed that rests upon appreciation of the importance of the drug distribution system (between supply and demand) as a part of the irregular economy and as the primary motor behind recent expansions in heroin use in Britain. The possibilities are discussed for intervention in the irregular economy, viewed within the context of recent trends in thinking about crime prevention and family responses.

Global analysis and controls of an irregular economy model

Global analysis and controls of an irregular economy model

≪Global dynamics and controls in an irregular economy model≫

The macroeconomic model of an irregular economy proposed by B. Contini, F. Cugno and M. Galeotti (1984) is extended by increasing the number of state variables and thus the dimension of the phase space for the relative dynamical system.

EMPLOYMENT STATUS AND COMMITMENT AMONG PUBLIC HOUSE PERFORMERS

Although as an example of “moonlighting” public house entertainment can be categorised as part of the irregular economy, all these terms tend to lose their rigour when confronted with the complexity of empirical reality. The occupational status of public house entertainers differs greatly (for some, a second/part‐time occupation, for others, their only occupation), and shifts in status are common. An important benchmark in such careers is the point at which performers turn professional, but this status‐passage is usually informal and is influenced by the individual's evaluation of their day‐job, perception of professionals‘ lives, availability of opportunities, and commitment to entertaining. Twin job‐holding activity demonstrates a rich occupational complexity, and the balance between two jobs, in such performers’ lives, is liable to change, as are the reasons for participation.

The effects of irregular markets on macroeconomic policy: Some estimates for belgium

The paper aims at evaluating the efficiency of traditional Keynesian (demand) or neo-classical (income) policies in the presence of an irregular sector. The analysis is applied to the Belgian economy for which it is shown that the objectives of increasing output and employment and reducing the importance of the irregular economy will often lead to conflicting policy prescriptions. In addition, Keynesian multipliers may be lowered by as much as 40%, though the irregular market only represents some 10 to 15% of total activity.

Regional variations in the irregular economy: A study of possible trends

Button K. J. (1984) Regional variations in the irregular economy, Reg. Studies 18, 385–392. This short paper presents an empirical investigation of the factors which produce regional variations in ...

Canada's Irregular Economy

Concern has increased in Canada and elsewhere over the part of economic activity that escapes traditional measurement methods. If the irregular economy is large, economic policies are likely based on misleading figures for GNP, GNP growth rates, unemployment, and inflation. The equity, efficiency, and self-assessment aspect of the tax system is also brought into question. This paper, based on methods similar to those used for the United States, provides three estimates of Canada's irregular economy. Estimates range from 5 to 20 per cent of total economic activity. The potential size of the problem suggests that it deserves much more attention.

Statistical Illusions, Mistaken Policies

The subterranean economy, by its very nature, tends to be hidden from official view. Economists, who are under the comforting illusion that the statistics they peruse are an accurate reflection of reality, have taken practically no notice of it. But it is ubiquitous. The reader is advised to conduct a small experiment, to ask his circle of acquaintances for examples of income received without intercession of the tax collector. He is likely to find that his friends can cite plenty of cases. When first published my estimate of U.S. subterranean income, those few who cared to comment thought, for the most part, that my estimate was too high. But, in this field, the more you look, the more you find. am reasonably certain that when my estimate is judged by history some years hence, it will be found to have been low rather than high. Professor Feige, in his article, also commented, I wish to note that began this investigation suspecting that the irregular economy was smaller than previous estimates had suggested. am now convinced that the irregular economy is indeed of staggering proportions and growing rapidly.