IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/agr/journl/v1(638)y2024i1(638)p253-270.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Resurgence of informal economy in the US amidst of automation

Author

Listed:
  • Bishal ROUTH

    (University of North Bengal, India)

  • Joy SARKAR

    (University of North Bengal, India)

Abstract

A continuous decline in the number of informal economies in the advanced economy has been boosted across the globe by various institutions such as IMF (International Monetary Fund). But a resurrection of the informal economy is being witnessed in the United States (US) with a 102% jump from 1990 to 2018. Over the years technological advancement has impacted the involvement of labour in the production process, with rapid automation in the last three decades this involvement has been reduced a to minimalistic level. In this paper, we tried to build a narrative to explain this resurgence of the informal market in the US. Through our theoretical framework, we commented on how unemployed graduates and the informal economy are associated with automation. The result showed that both variables were positively associated with automation which was confirmatory of the theory put forward. Lastly, we also comment on income inequality and automation which were also positively related.

Suggested Citation

  • Bishal ROUTH & Joy SARKAR, 2024. "Resurgence of informal economy in the US amidst of automation," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania / Editura Economica, vol. 0(1(638), S), pages 253-270, Spring.
  • Handle: RePEc:agr:journl:v:1(638):y:2024:i:1(638):p:253-270
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://store.ectap.ro/articole/1735.pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: http://www.ectap.ro/articol.php?id=1735&rid=154
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Eli Bekman & John Bound & Stephen Machin, 1998. "Implications of Skill-Biased Technological Change: International Evidence," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(4), pages 1245-1279.
    2. David H. Autor & Lawrence F. Katz & Melissa S. Kearney, 2006. "The Polarization of the U.S. Labor Market," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(2), pages 189-194, May.
    3. Zsolt Darvas & Guntram B. Wolff & Bruegel, . "An anatomy of inclusive growth in Europe," Blueprints, Bruegel, number 17266, June.
    4. Daron Acemoglu, 1999. "Changes in Unemployment and Wage Inequality: An Alternative Theory and Some Evidence," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(5), pages 1259-1278, December.
    5. Edgar L. Feige, 1979. "How Big Is the Irregular Economy?," Challenge, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(5), pages 5-13, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ryosuke Okazawa, 2013. "Skill-biased technical change, educational choice, and labor market polarization: the U.S. versus Europe," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 11(3), pages 321-342, September.
    2. Leonardi, Marco, 2010. "The Effect of Product Demand on Inequality: Evidence from the US and the UK," IZA Discussion Papers 5011, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Carlos Medina & Christian Posso, 2010. "Technical Change and Polarization of the Labor Market: Evidence for Brazil, Colombia and Mexico," Borradores de Economia 614, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    4. Marimon, Ramon & Zilibotti, Fabrizio, 1999. "Unemployment vs. Mismatch of Talents: Reconsidering Unemployment Benefits," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 109(455), pages 266-291, April.
    5. Sunde, Uwe, 2001. "Human Capital Accumulation, Education and Earnings Inequality," IZA Discussion Papers 310, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Donald R. Davis & Trevor A. Reeve, 1997. "Human Capital, Unemployment and Relative Wages in a Global Economy," Harvard Institute of Economic Research Working Papers 1804, Harvard - Institute of Economic Research.
    7. Bellmann, Lutz & Cornelißen, Thomas & Hübler, Olaf & Pahnke, André, 2008. "Betriebliche Reorganisation, Entlohnung und Beschäftigungsstabilität (Organisational change, wages and job stability)," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 41(2/3), pages 259-285.
    8. David H. Autor & Frank Levy & Richard J. Murnane, 2003. "The Skill Content of Recent Technological Change: An Empirical Exploration," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(4), pages 1279-1333.
    9. Dupuy, Arnaud & Marey, Philip S., 2008. "Shifts and twists in the relative productivity of skilled labor," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 718-735, June.
    10. Lex Borghans & Bas ter Weel, 2008. "Understanding the Technology of Computer Technology Diffusion: Explaining Computer Adoption Patterns and Implications for the Wage Structure," Journal of Income Distribution, Ad libros publications inc., vol. 17(3-4), pages 37-70, September.
    11. Borghans, Lex & Weel, Bas ter, 2001. "What happens when agent T gets a computer?," Research Memorandum 017, Maastricht University, Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    12. Peter Bergeijk & Fabienne Fortanier & Harry Garretsen & Henri Groot & Selwyn Moons, 2011. "Productivity and Internationalization: A Micro-Data Approach," De Economist, Springer, vol. 159(4), pages 381-388, December.
    13. Du Yuhong & Wei Xiahai, 2020. "Task content routinisation, technological change and labour turnover: Evidence from China," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 31(3), pages 324-346, September.
    14. Echeverri-Carroll, Elsie L. & Oden, Michael D. & Gibson, David V. & Johnston, Evan A., 2018. "Unintended consequences on gender diversity of high-tech growth and labor market polarization," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 209-217.
    15. Sara De La Rica & Lucas Gortazar, 2015. "Differences in Job De-Routinization in OECD countries: Evidence from PIAAC," Working Papers 2015-11, FEDEA.
    16. Francesco Vona & Davide Consoli, 2015. "Innovation and skill dynamics: a life-cycle approach," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 24(6), pages 1393-1415.
    17. James Albrecht & Susan Vroman, 2002. "A Matching Model with Endogenous Skill Requirements," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 43(1), pages 283-305, February.
    18. Guido Matias Cortes, 2016. "Where Have the Middle-Wage Workers Gone? A Study of Polarization Using Panel Data," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 34(1), pages 63-105.
    19. Mandelman, Federico S., 2016. "Labor market polarization and international macroeconomic dynamics," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 1-16.
    20. Gray, Rowena, 2013. "Taking technology to task: The skill content of technological change in early twentieth century United States," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 351-367.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:agr:journl:v:1(638):y:2024:i:1(638):p:253-270. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Mircea Dinu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/agerrea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.