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Occupational Choice and Investments in Human Capital in Informal Economies

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  • Berniell, Lucila

Abstract

Countries di er greatly in their levels of schooling and also in their rates of entrepreneurship. At the same time, the share of the so-called \shadow economy" -informal economic activities- is very large in some countries and very small in others. This paper explores some key channels that connect these three phenomena. In particular, it focuses on assessing whether the extent to which rms can hide from tax authorities -i.e., operate in the informal economy- may a ect the incentives of individuals to invest in human capital and also distort their occupational choices. The cross country data shows that the levels of educational attainment, rates of entrepreneurship and the level of informality are connected. First, across countries there is a positive association between rates of entrepreneurship and the sizes of the informal sector. Second, the di erence in the skill premium received by entrepreneurs and workers is negligible for economies with low levels of informality, while it becomes positive and increasing for more informal economies. Third, in more informal economies the fraction of high-skilled individuals that choose to become entrepreneurs is larger. Moreover, the share of the labor force that is skilled and the size of the informal economy are related in a non-linear way: for low levels of informality the share of skilled individuals rst decreases but then it rapidly stabilizes for countries with su ciently large informal sectors.

Suggested Citation

  • Berniell, Lucila, 2017. "Occupational Choice and Investments in Human Capital in Informal Economies," Research Department working papers 1135, CAF Development Bank Of Latinamerica.
  • Handle: RePEc:dbl:dblwop:1135
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    Cited by:

    1. Temitope Sade AKINTUNDE & Abiodun Samuel ISAYOMI, 2023. "The Effect Of Informal Economy On Human Capital Development," Business & Management Compass, University of Economics Varna, issue 3, pages 182-195.
    2. Monserrat Serio & Pablo Mahnic, 2022. "Exploring the U-shaped relationship between education and entrepreneurial choice: a theoretical model and empirical findings for Latin America," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(6), pages 1-22, June.
    3. Pablo Mahnic, 2021. "Emprendedurismo, capital humano y crecimiento económico," Asociación Argentina de Economía Política: Working Papers 4488, Asociación Argentina de Economía Política.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Economía; Jóvenes; Investigación socioeconómica; Políticas públicas;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E26 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Informal Economy; Underground Economy
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements

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