In a dynamic general equilibrium framework with heterogeneous firms, this study analyzes the importance of informal credit markets in financial development and growth. By drawing instances from informal market we show that informal loans reduce the cost of credit constraints under regulated...

The aim of this paper is to quantify the role of formal-sector institutions in shaping the demand for human capital and the level of informality. We propose a firm dynamics model where firms face capital market imperfections and costs of operating in the formal sector. Formal firms have a larger...

We study the dynamic general equilibrium effects of introducing a social pension program to elderly informal sector workers in developing countries who lack formal risk sharing mechanisms against income and longevity risks. To this end, we formulate a stochastic dynamic general equilibrium model...

This paper examines the determinants of the decision of owners of small enterprises in Ghana to participate in the informal sector at start-up. For enterprises participating in the informal sector, the paper evaluates whether there are linkages with formal sector enterprises, and the...

Firms operating on production linkages through vertical integration with other firms are generally expected to possess a secured market for their output and better accessibility to inputs. We test the hypothesis whether or not the informal firms operating on contracts with formal...

The main purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects of economic policies on informal sector performances and poverty in Cameroon. It is based on a computable general equilibrium. The model has 5 production sectors including 2 commercial sectors, 2 tradable sectors and 1 non tradable...

In this study, we investigate the relationship between the size of the informal economy and the level of environmental pollution/energy use. To this end, we first use different indicators of environmental pollution along with a measure of energy use intensity in a panel dataset consisting of 152...

We analyze an oligopolistic microcredit market characterized by asymmetric information and institutions that can offer only one type of contract. We study the effects of competition on contract choice when small entrepreneurs can borrow from more than one institution due to the absence of credit...

I explore the effect of skill-biased technological change on long-run inequality by building a model where the supply of skilled and unskilled workers, the cost of education, and credit rationing are endogenous. In the model, the existence of unequal steady states does not depend on the degree...

We use a unique firm-level survey database compiled by the World Bank to examine the drivers of discouraged small businesses in various developing economies around the world. We confirm that older and larger firms are less likely to be discouraged and that the level of competition and the...