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Are Burdensome Registration Procedures an Important Barrier on Firm Creation? Evidence from Mexico

Author

Listed:
  • David Kaplan

    (ITAM)

  • Eduardo Piedra

    (University of Texas Austin)

  • Enrique Seira

    (World Bank)

Abstract

There is increasing concern that the difficulty of obtaining firm operation licences in developing countries may decrease firm creation and increase informality. We estimate the effect on new firm creation/registration of a program that speeds up firm registration procedures and makes them more transparent. The program was implemented in Mexico in different municipalities at different dates. Our preferred estimates suggest that new firm registration increased by around 4% in eligible industries. Most of the effect is temporary, being concentrated in the first 10 months after the program is implemented. This suggests that the program’s effect may operate through registering existing firms instead of spurring creation of new ones. We compare this magnitude to some benchmarks to assess its size.

Suggested Citation

  • David Kaplan & Eduardo Piedra & Enrique Seira, 2006. "Are Burdensome Registration Procedures an Important Barrier on Firm Creation? Evidence from Mexico," Discussion Papers 06-013, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:sip:dpaper:06-013
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    Cited by:

    1. Gabrieli, T. & Galvao Jr, A. F. & Montes-Rojas, G., 2010. "Who benefits from reducing the cost of formality? Quantile regression discontinuity analysis," Working Papers 10/07, Department of Economics, City University London.
    2. McKenzie, David & Seynabou Sakho, Yaye, 2010. "Does it pay firms to register for taxes? The impact of formality on firm profitability," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 15-24, January.
    3. Lucas Ronconi & Jorge Colina, 2011. "Simplificación del registro laboral en Argentina: Logros obtenidos y problemas pendientes," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 53678, Inter-American Development Bank.
    4. Antonio Ciccone & Elias Papaioannou, 2008. "Entry regulation and intersectoral reallocation," Economics Working Papers 1353, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    5. Ronconi, Lucas & Colina, Jorge, 2011. "Simplificación del registro laboral en Argentina: Logros obtenidos y problemas pendientes," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 3799, Inter-American Development Bank.
    6. Neil McCulloch & Edmund Malesky, 2011. "Does better local governance improve district growth performance in Indonesia?," Working Paper Series 1711, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    7. World Bank, 2008. "Bolivia : Policies for Increasing Firms’ Formality and Productivity," World Bank Publications - Reports 8003, The World Bank Group.
    8. Leora Klapper & Raphael Amit & Mauro F. Guillén, 2010. "Entrepreneurship and Firm Formation across Countries," NBER Chapters, in: International Differences in Entrepreneurship, pages 129-158, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Fajnzylber, Pablo & Maloney, William F. & Montes-Rojas, Gabriel V., 2011. "Does formality improve micro-firm performance? Evidence from the Brazilian SIMPLES program," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(2), pages 262-276, March.
    10. Dan Andrews & Aida Caldera Sánchez & Åsa Johansson, 2011. "Towards a Better Understanding of the Informal Economy," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 873, OECD Publishing.
    11. Pablo Cotler, 2018. "Firms´ Informality and Networks in Mexico: A Cross Section Analysis," Revista Economía, Fondo Editorial - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, vol. 41(82), pages 61-82.
    12. Lucas Ronconi & Jorge Colina, 2011. "Simplification of Labor Registration in Argentina: Achievements and Pending Issues," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 62158, Inter-American Development Bank.
    13. Jose Anchorena & Lucas Ronconi, 2012. "Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Values, and Public Policy in Argentina," Research Department Publications 4798, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department.
    14. Rand, John & Torm, Nina, 2012. "The Benefits of Formalization: Evidence from Vietnamese Manufacturing SMEs," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(5), pages 983-998.
    15. Rangel González, Erick & Torre Cepeda, Leonardo E., 2015. "Determinants of the cost of starting a business in Mexico," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 430-449.
    16. Tommaso Gabrieli & Antonio F. Galvao, Jr. & Antonio F. Galvao, Jr., 2010. "Who Benefits from Reducing the Cost of Formality? Quantile Regression Discontinuity Analysis," Real Estate & Planning Working Papers rep-wp2010-11, Henley Business School, University of Reading.
    17. Neil McCulloch & Günther G. Schulze & Janina Voss, 2010. "What Determines Firms’ Decisions to Formalize?," Discussion Paper Series 13, Department of International Economic Policy, University of Freiburg, revised Nov 2010.
    18. Ronconi, Lucas & Colina, Jorge, 2011. "Simplification of Labor Registration in Argentina: Achievements and Pending Issues," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 3827, Inter-American Development Bank.
    19. Ugarte, Darwin, 2012. "The impact of formality on firm profitability in Bolivia: an heterogeneous assessment," Revista Latinoamericana de Desarrollo Economico, Carrera de Economía de la Universidad Católica Boliviana (UCB) "San Pablo", issue 17, pages 53-74, Mayo.
    20. Mauricio Santa María S. & Sandra Rozo V., 2008. "Informalidad empresarial en Colombia : alternativas para impulsar la productividd, el empleo y los ingresos," Working Papers Series. Documentos de Trabajo 9189, Fedesarrollo.
    21. Fernandes, Ana P. & Ferreira, Priscila & Alan Winters, L., 2014. "Firm entry deregulation, competition and returns to education and skill," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 210-230.
    22. Rangel González Erick & Torre Cepeda Leonardo E., 2014. "Determinants of the Cost of Starting a Business in Mexico," Working Papers 2014-25, Banco de México.
    23. Acosta, Matias, 2021. "¿Cómo afecta la formalización del trabajo informal independiente de barrios populares a la pobreza multidimensional urbana?," SocArXiv hfmnb, Center for Open Science.
    24. Fajnzylber, Pablo & Maloney, William F. & Montes-Rojas, Gabriel V., 2009. "Does Formality Improve Micro-Firm Performance? Quasi-Experimental Evidence from the Brazilian SIMPLES Program," IZA Discussion Papers 4531, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Firm Creation; Regulation; Informal Sector; Program Evaluation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D02 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact

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