IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp6935.html

Efficiency in a Search and Matching Economy with a Competitive Informal Sector

Author

Listed:
  • Charlot, Olivier

    (University of Cergy-Pontoise)

  • Malherbet, Franck

    (Paris Graduate School of Economics, ENSAE)

  • Ulus, Mustafa

    (Galatasaray University)

Abstract

We consider a dual labor market with a frictional formal sector and a competitive informal sector. We show that the size of the informal sector is generally too large compared to the optimal allocation of the workers. It follows that our results give a rationale to informality-reducing policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Charlot, Olivier & Malherbet, Franck & Ulus, Mustafa, 2012. "Efficiency in a Search and Matching Economy with a Competitive Informal Sector," IZA Discussion Papers 6935, IZA Network @ LISER.
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp6935
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp6935.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fields, Gary S., 2011. "Labor market analysis for developing countries," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(S1), pages 16-22.
    2. Christopher A. Pissarides, 2000. "Equilibrium Unemployment Theory, 2nd Edition," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262161877, December.
    3. Acemoglu, Daron, 2001. "Good Jobs versus Bad Jobs," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 19(1), pages 1-21, January.
    4. Zenou, Yves, 2008. "Job search and mobility in developing countries. Theory and policy implications," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(2), pages 336-355, June.
    5. Albrecht, James & Navarro, Lucas & Vroman, Susan, 2010. "Efficiency in a search and matching model with endogenous participation," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 106(1), pages 48-50, January.
    6. Arthur J. Hosios, 1990. "On The Efficiency of Matching and Related Models of Search and Unemployment," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 57(2), pages 279-298.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Flórez, Luz A., 2017. "Informal sector under saving: A positive analysis of labour market policies," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 13-26.
    2. Yassin, Shaimaa & Langot, François, 2018. "Informality, public employment and employment protection in developing countries," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 326-348.
    3. Mariusz Zielinski, 2018. "Effect of the economic situation on employment and its structure in the Central and Eastern European countries," Ekonomia i Prawo, Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika, vol. 17(3), pages 329-337, September.
    4. Luz Adriana Fl�rez, 2014. "The Efficiency of the Informal Sector on the Search and Matching Framework," Borradores de Economia 11954, Banco de la Republica.
    5. Dave Chetan & Ghate Chetan & Gopalakrishnan Pawan & Tarafdar Suchismita, 2021. "Fiscal austerity in emerging market economies," Studies in Nonlinear Dynamics & Econometrics, De Gruyter, vol. 25(5), pages 365-391, December.
    6. Flabbi, Luca & Tejada, Mauricio M., 2023. "Are informal self-employment and informal employment as employee behaviorally distinct labor force states?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    7. Gonzalez-Rozada, Martin & Ruffo, Hernán, 2016. "Optimal unemployment benefits in the presence of informal labor markets," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 204-227.
    8. Maurício Benegas & Márcio Veras Corrêa, 2020. "Educational supply policies: distortions and labor market performance," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 129(3), pages 203-239, April.
    9. Merlino, Luca Paolo, 2016. "Efficient Sorting In Frictional Labor Markets With Two-Sided Heterogeneity," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(1), pages 95-119, January.
    10. Mangin, Sephorah & Julien, Benoît, 2021. "Efficiency in search and matching models: A generalized Hosios condition," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    11. Julien, Benoît & Mangin, Sephorah, 2017. "Efficiency of job creation in a search and matching model with labor force participation," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 149-151.
    12. Chetan Ghate & Debojyoti Mazumder, 2019. "Employment targeting in a frictional labor market," Indian Growth and Development Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 12(2), pages 242-262, June.

    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. Rabinovich, Stanislav & Wolthoff, Ronald, 2022. "Misallocation inefficiency in partially directed search," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    2. Flórez, Luz A., 2017. "Informal sector under saving: A positive analysis of labour market policies," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 13-26.
    3. Arnaud Chéron & Jean-Olivier Hairault & François Langot, 2013. "Life-Cycle Equilibrium Unemployment," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 31(4), pages 843-882.
    4. Isabelle Lebon & Thérèse Rebière, 2018. "How many educated workers for your economy? European targets, optimal public spending, and labor market impact," Portuguese Economic Journal, Springer;Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestao, vol. 17(1), pages 1-44, March.
    5. Toshihiko Mukoyama, 2019. "Heterogeneous Jobs and the Aggregate Labour Market," The Japanese Economic Review, Springer, vol. 70(1), pages 30-50, March.
    6. David M. Arseneau & Brendan Epstein, 2018. "Efficient Mismatch," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2018-037, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    7. Krolikowski, Pawel M. & McCallum, Andrew H., 2021. "Goods-market frictions and international trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    8. G. Cardullo & M. Conti & G. Sulis, 2018. "Unions, Two-Tier Bargaining and Physical Capital Investment: Theory and Firm-Level Evidence from Italy," Working Paper CRENoS 201812, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    9. Gavrel, Frédéric, 2012. "On the inefficiency of matching models of unemployment with heterogeneous workers and jobs when firms rank their applicants," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(8), pages 1746-1758.
    10. Burkhard Heer & Albrecht Morgenstern, 2005. "The Labor Market Effects of Indexing Unemployment Benefits to Previous Earnings," Public Finance Review, , vol. 33(3), pages 385-402, May.
    11. Eleftheriou, Konstantinos, 2011. "Efficiency and specialization: A search theoretic approach," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(1-2), pages 229-238, January.
    12. Stephen Tapp, 2011. "Lost in transition: the costs and consequences of sectoral labour adjustment," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 44(4), pages 1264-1296, November.
    13. Maxim Bouev, 2005. "State Regulations, Job Search and Wage Bargaining: A Study in the Economics of the Informal Sector," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series wp764, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan.
    14. Coles, Melvyn, 2009. "Corrigendum to "Melvyn Coles, Optimal unemployment policy in a matching equilibrium", Labour Economics, Volume 15, Issue 4, Pages 537-559 (August 2008)," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 120-120, January.
    15. Kudoh, Noritaka & Sasaki, Masaru, 2011. "Employment and hours of work," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 176-192, February.
    16. Therese REBIERE & Isabelle LEBON, 2015. "How many educated workers do you wish for your economy? European targets, optimal public spending, and labor market impact," EcoMod2015 8361, EcoMod.
    17. Lehmann, Etienne & Montero Ledezma, Paola L. & Linden, Bruno Van der, 2016. "Workforce location and equilibrium unemployment in a duocentric economy with matching frictions," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 26-44.
    18. Felbermayr, Gabriel J. & Larch, Mario & Lechthaler, Wolfgang, 2012. "Endogenous labor market institutions in an open economy," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 30-45.
    19. Docquier, Frédéric & Iftikhar, Zainab, 2019. "Brain drain, informality and inequality: A search-and-matching model for sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 109-125.
    20. Miroslav Gabrovski & Victor Ortego-Marti, 2025. "Home Construction Financing and Search Frictions in the Housing Market," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 55, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E26 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Informal Economy; Underground Economy
    • J60 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - General
    • L16 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Industrial Organization and Macroeconomics; Macroeconomic Industrial Structure
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:iza:izadps:dp6935. 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: Mark Fallak (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/izaaalu.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.