Retheorizing the Nature of Informal Employment

Williams, Colin C.; Round, John

doi:10.1177/0268580908088896

Cited by 62 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(18 reference statements)

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“…This however, is an a priori assumption rather than an evidence-based finding. Indeed, the only evidence presented to support this marginalisation thesis has come from small-scale surveys in particular localities or populations (Round et al 2010a,b, Sedlenieks 2003, Smith and Stenning 2006, St nculescu 2005, Surdej and l zak 2009, Williams and Round 2008a,b, 2010. The aim of this paper in consequence, is to evaluate critically this marginalisation thesis for the first time using an extensive data set, namely a cross-national survey conducted in three Nordic nations involving 3,013 face-to-face interviews.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are Marginalised Populations More Likely to Engage in Undeclared Work in the Nordic Countries?

Williams

Horodnic

2015

Sociological Research Online

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The aim of this paper is to evaluate the validity of the ‘marginalisation thesis’, which holds that marginalised populations are more likely to participate in the undeclared economy, in relation to Nordic societies. To do this, a 2013 special Eurobarometer survey is reported on who engages in undeclared work conducted in three Nordic nations, namely Denmark, Finland and Sweden involving 3,013 face-to-face interviews. Using multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analysis, the finding is that the marginalisation thesis is valid in relation to some marginalised populations, namely those having difficulties paying their household bills, younger age groups, those defining themselves as working class and those who hold non-conformist norms, values and beliefs on tax compliance. Other marginalised populations however, including the unemployed, those living in rural areas and with less formal education, are revealed to be no more likely to engage in undeclared work than the employed, those in urban areas and with more years in education. Yet others marginalised populations, including women and people living in less affluent Nordic nations, are significantly less likely to participate in the undeclared economy than men and those living in more affluent Nordic countries, thus supporting the reinforcement thesis that undeclared work reinforces, rather than reduces, the disparities produced by the declared economy. The outcome is a call for a more nuanced understanding of the marginalisation thesis as valid for some marginalised populations but not others. The paper concludes by discussing the implications for theory and policy of this more variegated assessment of the marginalisation thesis.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are Marginalised Populations More Likely to Engage in Undeclared Work in the Nordic Countries?

Williams

Horodnic

2015

Sociological Research Online

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“…Many studies have based their notion of the informal sector on its consequences for the labour market. Based on this criterion, the informal sector or 'informal employment' (Williams and Round, 2008) is defined as: '. .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(OECD, 2002: p. 139). As in Williams and Round (2008), who draw lessons on informal employment in Ukraine, we also adopt this definition here because, this type of activities is rather typical for post-communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Education on Informal Sector Participation in a Post-Communist Country

Gërxhani

Werfhorst

2011

European Sociological Review

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This article examines participation in the informal economy in Albania, a post-communist country in transition. In particular, it focuses on the effect of education while considering other individual, social, and institutional factors. Two factors that can be central in the educational effect on informal sector participation are considered. The human capital factor, referring to the income-related returns of education, may lead to less participation due to lower financial incentives to do so. The other factor, referring more to the role of education in forming moral attitudes and values, may also lead to less participation but primarily through broad and civic norms affected by education. Using survey data, we find a strong negative relationship between education and informal sector participation. The role of education in shaping broad civic attitudes explains relatively more of this relationship than the human capital factor. Importantly, the effect of education is independent of income, which suggests that education shapes moral values independent of whether these values are developed to legitimize one's advantaged position in society. These findings provide a somewhat optimistic view of how to deal with the social inequality caused by participation in the informal sector.

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“…Indeed, this 'marginalisation thesis' holds not only that people living in marginalised areas, such as less affluent Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries and peripheral rural areas, are more likely to participate in the informal economy (ILO 2012(ILO , 2013, but also marginalised socio-economic groups, such as unemployed people and those in financial difficulty (Morris and Polese, 2014, Round et al, 2010a,b, Slavnic 2010, Taiwo 2013. Until now nevertheless, the only evidence supporting this marginalisation thesis has been small-scale surveys in particular localities or populations (Round et al 2010a,b, Sedlenieks 2003, Smith and Stenning 2006, St nculescu 2005, Surdej and l zak 2009, Williams and Round 2008a,b, 2010. The aim of this paper in consequence, is to evaluate critically this marginalisation thesis for the first time using an extensive data set, namely a cross-national survey conducted in 11 CEE countries involving 11,131 face-to-face interviews.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marginalisation and participation in the informal economy in Central and Eastern European nations

Williams

Horodnic²

2015

Post-Communist Economies

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To evaluate the 'marginalisation thesis' which holds that marginalised populations are more likely to participate in the informal economy, this paper reports a 2013 special Eurobarometer survey conducted in 11 Central and Eastern European countries. Using multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analysis, the finding is that although some marginalised populations (i.e., the unemployed, those having difficulties paying their household bills, younger age groups) are significantly more likely to participate in the informal economy, others are not (e.g., those in poorer nations, living in rural areas, with less formal education). Yet others (e.g., women) are significantly less likely to participate in the informal economy. The outcome is a call for a more nuanced understanding of the marginalisation thesis as valid for some marginalised populations but not others. The paper concludes by discussing the implications for theory and policy of this more variegated assessment of the marginalisation thesis.

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Retheorizing the Nature of Informal Employment

Cited by 62 publications

References 23 publications

Are Marginalised Populations More Likely to Engage in Undeclared Work in the Nordic Countries?

Are Marginalised Populations More Likely to Engage in Undeclared Work in the Nordic Countries?

The Effect of Education on Informal Sector Participation in a Post-Communist Country

Marginalisation and participation in the informal economy in Central and Eastern European nations

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