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Financial Frictions and Firm Informality: A General Equilibrium Perspective

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  • Luis Franjo
  • Nathalie Pouokam
  • Francesco Turino

Abstract

This paper assesses the extent to which financial development and informality are related, and how this relation translates into differences in GDP and TFP across countries. To this end, we develop a quantitative life-cycle general equilibrium model of occupational choice with imperfect tax enforcement, in which informal entrepreneurs have no access to credit and face an endogenous probability of being caught for tax evasion. Our quantitative analysis shows that the degree of financial frictions of a country is crucial in shaping the firm’s incentives to evade taxation, a feature that, in the aggregate, results into a non-linear relationship between financial development and both the size of informality and GDP per capita. We test these model’s predictions with cross-country data and find supporting evidence in favour of both non-linearities.

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  • Luis Franjo & Nathalie Pouokam & Francesco Turino, 2022. "Financial Frictions and Firm Informality: A General Equilibrium Perspective," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 132(645), pages 1790-1823.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:econjl:v:132:y:2022:i:645:p:1790-1823.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/ej/ueac010
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    Cited by:

    1. Yang, Xiaolan & Huang, Yidong & Gao, Mei, 2022. "Can digital financial inclusion promote female entrepreneurship? Evidence and mechanisms," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    2. Fernández-Bastidas, Rocío, 2023. "Entrepreneurship and tax evasion," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    3. Delalibera, Bruno Ricardo & Ferreira, Pedro Cavalcanti & Parente, Rafael Machado, 2023. "Social security reforms, retirement and sectoral decisions," FGV EPGE Economics Working Papers (Ensaios Economicos da EPGE) 838, EPGE Brazilian School of Economics and Finance - FGV EPGE (Brazil).
    4. Alessandro Di Nola & Georgi Kocharkov & Almuth Scholl & Anna-Mariia Tkhir, 2021. "The Aggregate Consequences of Tax Evasion," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 40, pages 198-227, April.
    5. Erosa, Andrés & Fuster, Luisa & Martinez, Tomás R., 2023. "Public financing with financial frictions and underground economy," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 20-36.
    6. Alvarez, Bruna & Pessoa, João Paulo & Souza, André Portela, 2022. "Firm size distribution and informality effects of a revenue-dependent tax policy," Textos para discussão 561, FGV EESP - Escola de Economia de São Paulo, Fundação Getulio Vargas (Brazil).
    7. Barros, Fernando & Delalibera, Bruno R. & Nakabashi, Luciano & Ribeiro, Marcos J., 2023. "Misallocation of talent, teachers’ human capital, and development in Brazil," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    8. Herranz, Moisés Meroño & Turino, Francesco, 2023. "Tax evasion, fiscal policy and public debt: Evidence from Spain," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 47(3).

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