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Corruption and persistent informality: An empirical investigation for India

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  • Dutta, Nabamita
  • Kar, Saibal
  • Roy, Sanjukta

Abstract

India is a country characterized by a huge informal sector. At the same time, it is a country where the extent of corruption in every sector is remarkably high. Stifling bureaucratic interference and corruption at every stage of economic activities is one of the main reasons behind high participation in informal and unregulated sectors. For economies characterized by high inequality and poverty, a useful tool for the government to pacify social unrest, is to choose a lower level of governance allowing substantial corruption in the system. Based on a study of states in India, we empirically show that higher corruption is associated with higher levels of employment in the informal sector. Furthermore, our analysis shows that for higher levels of lagged state domestic product, the positive association between levels of corruption and extent of employment in the informal sector is nullified.

Suggested Citation

  • Dutta, Nabamita & Kar, Saibal & Roy, Sanjukta, 2013. "Corruption and persistent informality: An empirical investigation for India," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 357-373.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:27:y:2013:i:c:p:357-373
    DOI: 10.1016/j.iref.2012.11.001
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    8. Khurrum S. Mughal & Friedrich G. Schneider, 2020. "How Informal Sector Affects the Formal Economy in Pakistan? A Lesson for Developing Countries," South Asian Journal of Macroeconomics and Public Finance, , vol. 9(1), pages 7-21, June.
    9. Emerson Abraham Jackson, 2023. "Informality as a Driving Force for Corruption in Economy: A Neoclassical Simulation," Economic Analysis Letters, Anser Press, vol. 2(2), pages 60-65, May.
    10. Farazi, Subika, 2014. "Informal firms and financial inclusion : status and determinants," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6778, The World Bank.
    11. Hien Thu Pham & Shino Takayama, 2015. "Revisiting the Missing Middle: Production and Corruption," CEPA Working Papers Series WP022015, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    12. Gani, Azmat & Scrimgeour, Frank, 2016. "New Zealand's trade with Asia and the role of good governance," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 36-53.
    13. Ibrahim Ngouhouo & Loudi Njoya & Simplice A. Asongu, 2022. "Corruption, Economic Growth and the Informal Sector: Empirical Evidence from Developing Countries," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 22/014, African Governance and Development Institute..
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    15. Klaus Prettner & Davud Rostam‐Afschar, 2020. "Can taxes raise output and reduce inequality? The case of lobbying," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 67(5), pages 455-461, November.
    16. Mandal, Biswajit & Ghosh, Sujata, 2019. "Reformatory Policies and Factor Prices in a Developing Economy with Informal Sector," GLO Discussion Paper Series 367, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    17. Giombini, Germana & Teobaldelli, Désirée & Schneider, Friedrich, 2018. "Interaction effect of tax evasion and legal system inefficiency on firms' financial constraints," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 1-20.
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    19. Pranab Kumar Das & Saibal Kar, 2015. "A Study of Demographic and Financial Changes in India," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: José María Fanelli (ed.), Asymmetric Demography and the Global Economy, chapter 0, pages 213-241, Palgrave Macmillan.
    20. Khurrum S. Mughal & Friedrich G. Schneider & Zafar Hayat, 2020. "Intensity of Regulations as a Cause of the Informal Sector," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 15(2), pages 135-154, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Informal sector; Corruption; State domestic product; Governance; India;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C12 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Hypothesis Testing: General
    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure

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