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Evaluating The Impact Of Informal Sector Competition On Firm Performance: Some Lessons From South-East Europe

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  • COLIN C. WILLIAMS

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

  • SLAVKO BEZEREDI

    (Institute of Public Finance, Zagreb, Croatia)

Abstract

A widespread assumption is that competition from the informal sector has a negative impact on the firm performance of legitimate enterprises. This is because of the unfair competition they face from such enterprises in the informal sector. The aim of this paper is to provide an evidence-based evaluation of whether this is the case based on an analysis of the relationship between the firm performance of enterprises and their perception of the prevalence of informal sector competition. To do so, data is reported from a representative sample of 1,430 enterprises in Bulgaria, Croatia and FYR Macedonia. The finding is that enterprises asserting that their competitors participate in the informal economy have significantly lower real annual sales growth rates compared with those who assert that their competitors do not participate in the informal economy. The theoretical and policy implications are then discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Colin C. Williams & Slavko Bezeredi, 2018. "Evaluating The Impact Of Informal Sector Competition On Firm Performance: Some Lessons From South-East Europe," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(04), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsi:jdexxx:v:23:y:2018:i:04:n:s1084946718500255
    DOI: 10.1142/S1084946718500255
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    13. Colin C Williams & Abbi M. Kedir, 2016. "Business Registration And Firm Performance: Some Lessons From India," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 21(03), pages 1-19, September.
    14. 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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    16. Colin C. Williams & Besnik Krasniqi, 2018. "Explaining Informal Sector Entrepreneurship In Kosovo: An Institutionalist Perspective," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(02), pages 1-20, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Colin C. Williams, 2023. "A Modern Guide to the Informal Economy," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 18668.
    2. Mohammad Amin, 2023. "Does competition from informal firms hurt job creation by formal manufacturing SMEs in developing and emerging countries? Evidence using firm-level survey data," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 1659-1681, April.
    3. Sana Ullah & Colin C. Williams & Babur Wasim Arif, 2019. "The Impacts Of Informality On Enterprise Innovation, Survival And Performance: Some Evidence From Pakistan," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 24(03), pages 1-19, September.
    4. Pedro Bermúdez & Luis Verástegui & José Luis Nolazco & Dante A. Urbina, 2024. "Effects of Corruption and Informality on Economic Growth through Productivity," Economies, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-22, October.
    5. Aysa Ipek Erdogan, 2023. "Drivers of SME Growth: Quantile Regression Evidence From Developing Countries," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(1), pages 21582440231, March.
    6. Zaineb Hlioui & Mohamed Gabsi & Abdelwahed Omri, 2022. "Informal Competition Effect on SMEs’ Innovation: Do Credit Constraints Matter? Evidence from Eastern European Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-23, October.
    7. Ioana Alexandra Horodnic & Colin C. Williams & Adriana Manolică & Cristina Teodora Roman & Gabriela Boldureanu, 2023. "Employer perspectives on undeclared work in the service sector: impacts and policy responses," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(5-6), pages 358-377, April.
    8. Kefyalew Endale, 2024. "The Effects of Informal Competition on Manufacturing Firm Productivity in Ethiopia," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(3), pages 15129-15160, September.
    9. Ali, Abdilahi & Ali, Syed Imran, 2020. "Antecedents of the propensity to learn management practices and their impacts on firm outcomes in emerging markets: A Bayesian Model Averaging approach," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(4).
    10. Eijaz Ahmed Khan & Lynne Harris & Mohammed Quaddus, 2021. "The mediating role of personality traits on the entrepreneurial orientation–firm performance relationship: informal entrepreneurship context," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 11(1), pages 41-52, December.

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