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Informality and Profitability: Evidence from a New Firm Survey in Ecuador

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  • Denis Medvedev
  • Ana María Oviedo

Abstract

This article estimates the impact of informality on profits using a new survey administered to 1,200 firms with less than 50 employees in four cities in Ecuador. The article proposes a novel definition of informality which explicitly recognises that most firms comply with some regulations but not others. Accounting for firm selection and controlling for a large set of firm, owner and location characteristics, the article finds that more formal firms tend to be more profitable and have higher output per worker. This impact operates, inter alia, through improved access to credit and higher sales through issuance of tax receipts.

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  • Denis Medvedev & Ana María Oviedo, 2016. "Informality and Profitability: Evidence from a New Firm Survey in Ecuador," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(3), pages 412-427, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jdevst:v:52:y:2016:i:3:p:412-427
    DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2015.1046442
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Straub, Stéphane, 2005. "Informal sector: The credit market channel," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(2), pages 299-321, December.
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    7. World Bank, 2008. "Peru : Trajectories towards Formality," World Bank Publications - Reports 12897, The World Bank Group.
    8. Pablo Fajnzylber & William F. Maloney & Gabriel V. Montes-Rojas, 2009. "Releasing Constraints to Growth or Pushing on a String? Policies and Performance of Mexican Micro-Firms," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(7), pages 1027-1047, August.
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    10. Fajnzylber, Pablo & Maloney, William F. & Montes-Rojas, Gabriel V., 2009. "Does Formality Improve Micro-Firm Performance? Quasi-Experimental Evidence from the Brazilian SIMPLES Program," IZA Discussion Papers 4531, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
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    Cited by:

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    2. Rothenberg, Alexander D. & Gaduh, Arya & Burger, Nicholas E. & Chazali, Charina & Tjandraningsih, Indrasari & Radikun, Rini & Sutera, Cole & Weilant, Sarah, 2016. "Rethinking Indonesia’s Informal Sector," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 96-113.
    3. Ceyhun Elgin & Ferda Erturk, 2019. "Informal economies around the world: measures, determinants and consequences," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 9(2), pages 221-237, June.
    4. Shi Wang & Yizhou Yuan & Hua Wang, 2019. "Corruption, Hidden Economy and Environmental Pollution: A Spatial Econometric Analysis Based on China’s Provincial Panel Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-23, August.
    5. Mohamed El Komi & Mona Said, 2017. "The Nexus Between Informal Credit and Informal Labor for Micro and Small Enterprises in Egypt: Sources of Finance and Enterprises Informality: Evidence from MSE Surveys in Two Governorates," Working Papers 1074, Economic Research Forum, revised 03 2017.

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