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The Informal Economy in the EU Accession Countries: Size, Scope, Trends and Challenges to the Process of EU Enlargement
Presentations
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Corruption or widespread administrative malfunction?
A Policy failure warning
by Alina Mungiu-Pippidi
Executive Director, SAR, Romanian Academic Society,
Bucharest
see the
Powerpoint Presentation
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The underground economy in Croatia
by Dr. Predrag Bejakovic
Institute of Public Finance, Zagreb
see the
Powerpoint Presentation
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Going Informal: Benefits and Costs
by Tatiana Nenova
The World Bank, WB Washington D.C.
All types of informal activities have something in common: the
entrepreneurs who pursue them believe the benefits of informality
outweigh their costs. Some activities will always stay informal:
illegal activities like drug trafficking are one example;
house-cleaning is another, more innocuous, example. No amount of
improvement in the regulatory environment for doing business will
change their status. Fortunately, such activtities account for a
small share of gross domestic product in the average developed
economy. Many activities that now take place in the informal or
semi-formal economy in EU accession countries will be legalized if
entrepreneurs see the costs of informality rising and its benefits
falling. In this paper, we develop a taxonomy of informal activity.
We then discuss the perceived costs and benefits of informality
from the point of view of entrepreneurs, and of the government.
Next, we suggest several policy reforms, based on the experience in
other countries. Finally, we conclude with a priority list for the
policy maker who would like to see most companies going formal.
see the
Powerpoint Presentation
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The Size and Development of the Informal Economy in East
and West Europe: What do we know?
by Prof. Dr. Friedrich Schneider
Vice Director for Foreign and External Relations,
Johannes Kepler University, Linz
Content of the presentation:
- Size and development of the shadow economy of 21 OECD countries
in the period 1990-2002;
- Size and development of the shadow economy of East-European
countries in the period 1990-2000;
- Methods to estimate the shadow economy;
- Major causes of the growth of the shadow economy;
- Interaction of the shadow economy with the official one;
- Policy implications of a growing shadow economy.
see the
Powerpoint Presentation
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Black cash tax evasion in Russia: Its forms, incentives
and consequences at firm level
by Dr. Andrei Yakovlev
Institute for Industrial and Market Studies at State
University - Higher School of Economics
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The Tax Avoidance in Bulgaria: the Human Capital
Approach
by Assos. Prof. Dr. Andrey Zahariev
Dragan Tsenov Academy of Economic, Svishtov
see the
Powerpoint Presentation
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Why People Evade Taxes in the Czech and Slovak Republics:
A Tale of Twins
by Dr. Jan Hanousek, CERGE-EI, Prague
and
Filip Palda, Senior Fellow, The Fraser Institute, Montreal;
University of Quebec
The present paper uses a survey of 1062 Czechs and 524 Slovaks
to ask why people evade taxes. We maintain that the Czech and
Slovak Republics are "twins" separated at birth and that
divergences between these countries since their separation in 1992
can explain divergences in their rates of tax evasion. High Slovak
tax rates and lower Czech tax rates seem to explain little of the
difference in evasion between the two countries. Rising Czech
incomes seems the main reason that Czech Republic evades more
taxes. We also look at detailed demographic and psychological
reasons for tax evasion. We find that morality is a strong
deterrent to evasion.
see the
Powerpoint Presentation
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Informal Labor Market and Informal Economy: The Polish
experience
by Maciej Grabowski
Institute for Market Economies, Gdansk
The goal of this presentation is to shed light on relationship
between informal labor market and informal economy, its main
reasons, characteristics and methods of estimation, and changes
during economic transformation.
The nature and mechanics of the informal sector were changing
parallel to deregulation, liberalization and growing competition.
If prior to 1989 reforms the informal sector in Poland were mainly
stimulated by excessive limitation in business (including the
prohibition of certain forms of activity, the necessity of
obtaining licenses etc.) and by limited access to the means of
production (including labor). Since 1989 the improvement of the
competitive position (for instance by reducing costs) has
constituted the main incentive to remaining within the underground
economy for firm.
Informal labor obviously represents only a part of the
underground (or informal) sector. Clandestine employment (or
informal labor) may be defined as additional or basic employment,
which is undertaken by-passing regulations of the employment or
taxation codes. Such a definition can be applied to both illegal
employment between households and companies, irrespective of
whether they are registered or not, and it also includes
self-employed. Methods used to estimate this phenomenon includes
Labor Force Surveys, special polls, census, and comparison this
data with national labor statistics. Challenge of integration also
means to reduce unemployment and informal labor market at the same
time. Labor market policies alone will not provide sufficient
instruments to face this challenge.
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Currency Circulation after Currency Board Introduction in
Bulgaria
(Transactions Demand, Hoarding, Shadow Economy)
by . Nikolay Nenovski
Bulgarian National Bank
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The Informal Economy in the EU Accession Countries: Size,
Scope, Trends and Challenges to the Process of EU
Enlargement
by Liliana Doudeva
Seniour Researcher Economic Information, Center for Economic Development
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Informality and Poverty
by Zeynep Kudatgobilik and Alexander Marc
The World Bank
The informal sector is a critical component of many economies of
the Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The economic,
social and political re-engineering which characterize transition
to a market economy and western style democracy creates many
uncertainties as well as many opportunities, a large part of this
process has actually happened outside of official channels through
informal relations and activities. The purpose of this paper is to
examine the significance of the link between "informality" and
poverty in South East Europe. The paper argues that what is
relevant for the poor is not so much the informal "sector" but the
fact that informality is a way to cope and survive. Drawing on the
empirical work carried out through social and poverty assessments
by World Bank staff, the paper suggests that the underlying facts
that lead the poor towards informality as a survival are linked to
the failure of the formal system: lack of employment and inability
of state institutions to provide adequate healthcare and education
services, regulatory oversight and public security. We will
illustrate these connections through an examination of three
aspects of informality:
i) in access to social services;
ii) in access to revenue and employment; and
iii) in obtaining favors, justice and security.
This paper aims to contribute to understand the dynamics of
informality and draw a portrait of the characteristics of
informality and poverty. The paper also tries to explore the
challenges of reducing poverty by building more inclusive policies
in South East Europe taking fully into account the importance of
informality in the coping mechanisms of the poor.
see the
Powerpoint Presentation
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Barriers to Participation: The Informal Sector in Emerging
Democracies
The Case of Hungary
by Laszlo Kallay
Institute for Small Business Development, Hungary
see the
Powerpoint Presentation
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Behind the
informal economy: estimating, explaining,counteracting
by Guoda Steponaviciene
Vice President, Lithuanian Free Market Institute,
Vilnius
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Risk Reporting
and Early Warning for Good Governance and Against
Corruption
by Associate Professor Atanas Gotchev, Ph.
D.
UNDP–Sofia and University of National and World Economy,
Bulgaria
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Case Study:
Serbia
by Danijel Pantic
Secretary General, European Movement in Serbia,
Belgrade
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Comments on
papers of Friedrich Schneider and Tatiana Nenova
by Andrei Yakovlev
Director, Institute for Industrial and Market Studies at State
University - Higher School of Economics, Moscow
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Movement to
e-Government in Russia: problems and prospects
by Andrei Yakovlev
Director, Institute for Industrial and Market Studies at State
University - Higher School of Economics, Moscow
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Economic
Cooperation in Southeast Europe
Dr. Daniela Elena Stefanescu
Vice President, National Institute of Statistics of Romania,
Bucharest
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