Williams, C.C. (2015) Explaining cross-national variations in the commonality of informal sector entrepreneurship: an exploratory analysis of 38 emerging economies. Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Published online 4th Feb 2015. ISSN 0827-6331
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to evaluate the contrasting explanations for the cross-national variations in the commonality of informal sector entrepreneurship. These variously view such work as: a result of economic underdevelopment (modernization thesis); driven by high taxes, corruption and state interference which lead them to exit the formal economy (neoliberal thesis), or a product of inadequate state intervention to protect workers from poverty (political economy thesis). Analyzing International Labour Organization data on the proportion of the non-agricultural workforce engaged in informal sector entrepreneurship in 38 emerging economies, and data on the economic and social conditions deemed important in each explanation, a tentative call is made to reject the neoliberal explanation and to synthesize the modernization and political economy perspectives. The outcome is a new ‘neo-modernization’ explanation that associates greater levels of informal sector entrepreneurship with economic underdevelopment and inadequate state intervention to protect workers from poverty. The paper concludes by discussing the theoretical and policy implications.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2015 Taylor & Francis. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Management School (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 26 Jan 2015 16:36 |
Last Modified: | 28 Oct 2016 18:46 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08276331.2015.1004959 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/08276331.2015.1004959 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:82844 |