IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/riibaf/v70y2024ipbs0275531924001727.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Financial inclusion and the informal sector

Author

Listed:
  • Rojas Cama, Freddy
  • Emara, Noha
  • Trabelsi, Mohamed

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between the informal sector and financial inclusion for a sample of 186 countries across the period 2004–2018 by using various methods of estimations—ordinary least squares, instrumental variables, fixed effects, and general method of moments. The results show financial inclusion significantly reduces the size of the shadow economy throughout indicators of access and usage of financial services. The results are also robust when controlling by income level, these results strongly support the use of financial inclusion as an effective vehicle to lessen informality. Our policy recommendations are directed towards improving financial infrastructure and fostering inclusive financial environments to effectively decrease informality. Adopting dynamic, long-term strategies to sustain financial inclusiveness is key to achieving lasting reductions in the informal sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Rojas Cama, Freddy & Emara, Noha & Trabelsi, Mohamed, 2024. "Financial inclusion and the informal sector," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(PB).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:riibaf:v:70:y:2024:i:pb:s0275531924001727
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ribaf.2024.102379
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0275531924001727
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ribaf.2024.102379?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Financial Inclusion; Informal Sector; Dynamic Panel GMM;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:riibaf:v:70:y:2024:i:pb:s0275531924001727. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ribaf .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.