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Mapping the Shadow Economy: Spatial Variations in the use of High Denomination Bank Notes in Brussels

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Listed:
  • Dotti Nicola Francesco
  • Van Heur Bas

    (Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB), Faculty of Sciences, Cosmopolis, Department of Geography, Pleinlaan 2, BE-1050 Brussels, Belgium)

  • Williams Colin C.

    (Sheffield University Management School, University of Sheffield, Conduit Road, Sheffield S10 1FL, United Kingdom)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to map the spatial variations in the size of the shadow economy within Brussels. Reporting data provided by the National Bank of Belgium on the deposit of high denomination banknotes across bank branches in the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, the finding is that the shadow economy is concentrated in wealthier populations and not in deprived or immigrant communities. The outcome is a call to transcend the association of the shadow economy with marginalized groups and the wider adoption of this indirect method when measuring spatial variations in the shadow economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Dotti Nicola Francesco & Van Heur Bas & Williams Colin C., 2015. "Mapping the Shadow Economy: Spatial Variations in the use of High Denomination Bank Notes in Brussels," European Spatial Research and Policy, Sciendo, vol. 22(1), pages 5-21, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:vrs:eusprp:v:22:y:2015:i:1:p:5-21:n:1
    DOI: 10.1515/esrp-2015-0014
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andreas Buehn & Friedrich Schneider, 2012. "Shadow economies around the world: novel insights, accepted knowledge, and new estimates," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 19(1), pages 139-171, February.
    2. Schneider, Friedrich, 2005. "Shadow economies around the world: what do we really know?," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 598-642, September.
    3. Jaanika Meriküll & Karsten Staehr, 2010. "Unreported Employment and Envelope Wages in Mid-Transition: Comparing Developments and Causes in the Baltic Countries," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 52(4), pages 637-670, December.
    4. Colin C. Williams, 2013. "Evaluating cross-national variations in the extent and nature of informal employment in the European Union," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(5-6), pages 479-494, November.
    5. Carter, Michael, 1984. "Issues in the Hidden Economy-A Survey," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 60(170), pages 209-221, September.
    6. Williams Colin, 2009. "Evaluating the Extent and Nature of ‘Envelope Wages’ in the European Union: A Geographical Analysis," European Spatial Research and Policy, Sciendo, vol. 16(1), pages 115-129, June.
    7. Ali Nobil Ahmad, 2008. "Dead men working: time and space in London's (`illegal') migrant economy," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 22(2), pages 301-318, June.
    8. Friedman, Eric & Johnson, Simon & Kaufmann, Daniel & Zoido-Lobaton, Pablo, 2000. "Dodging the grabbing hand: the determinants of unofficial activity in 69 countries," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(3), pages 459-493, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Anna Kireenko & Yuriy Ivanov & Ekaterina Nevzorova & Olga Polyakova, 2017. "Shadow Economy in the Regions of the Russian Federation and the Ukraine," Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics, in: David Procházka (ed.), New Trends in Finance and Accounting, chapter 0, pages 301-312, Springer.
    2. C. Williams, Colin, 2019. "Tackling Undeclared Work In The European Union: An Evaluation Of Government Policy Approaches," UTMS Journal of Economics, University of Tourism and Management, Skopje, Macedonia, vol. 10(2), pages 135-147.
    3. Colin C. Williams, 2020. "Explaining the Variations in the Magnitude of Undeclared Work Across the 28 European Union Member States," Economic Alternatives, University of National and World Economy, Sofia, Bulgaria, issue 2, pages 203-223, June.

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